Jon Rahm’s rival launches 9 birdies and 1 eagle in a row at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Jon Rahm has returned to the DP World Tour this week for the prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The third round saw the LIV Golf star's fellow teammate put up an incredible show to steal the number one spot on the leaderboard.

Legion XIII captain Rahm is currently tied for seventh place with three other players. Meanwhile, his teammate, Tyrell Hatton, delivered an exceptional performance on October 5 at the iconic Old Course at St. Andrews Golf Club, carding an incredible eleven-under-par 61 round to seize the lead. With his father by his side, the former PGA Tour player equaled the course record with a bogey free round comprising nine birdies and one eagle.

Rahm followed up his rounds of 65 and 71 with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65, securing his place in the top ten before the final round. Before the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship began, Hatton had offered some advice on navigating the course to his captain at Carnoustie. However, he later admitted regretting the conversation after both players carded an opening round of 65. Here's what he said (via The Golfing Gazette):

"Yeah, that was maybe a bad thing on my part. I was more saying it about St Andrews because he was moaning about where he has to hit it. ... At St Andrews you can basically aim left and hit driver everywhere. He obviously took that into Carnoustie, and it served him well, unfortunately."

During a press conference, Rahm revealed that he "leans" on two-time Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner Hatton's knowledge for the week. Here's what the Legion XIII captain said (via ASAP Sports):

"I lean on the knowledge of a two-time Dunhill championship Champion, Tyrrell Hatton, and I asked him and in the words of Tyrrell, just hit driver over every bunker into the rough, and lob-wedge into the green. I was like, okay, and that's basically what I did. Missed it in all the right spots."

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Jon Rahm 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Stats

Here's a look at Jon Rahm's performance for the first and second rounds of the DP World Tour's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship:

Scores

• Round 1 - 65
• Round 2 - 71

Driving Accuracy

• Round 1 - 46.7 percent
• Round 2 - 78.6 percent

Average Driving Distance

• Round 1 - 323 yards
• Round 2 - 324 yards

Greens in Regulation

• Round 1 - 77.8 percent
• Round 2 - 72.2 percent

Putts per Round

• Round 1 - 26 putts
• Round 2 - 31 putts

Putts per Green in Regulation Hit

• Round 1 - 1.6 putts
• Round 2 - 1.8 putts

Scrambling

• Round 1 - 75 percent
• Round 2 - 20 percent