Rahm lurking after 61 as Finau leads in Mexico
Jon Rahm of Spain plays a stroke from the No. 4 tee during the final round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 9, 2023.
Defending champion Jon Rahm continued his sensational start to 2023 when he fired a course record 10-under 61 to lurk just two shots behind Tony Finau heading into the final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
The Masters champion and world number one matched his career-low round on the PGA Tour to move into a tie for second with Akshay Bhatia on 17-under par as he seeks his fifth win of the season in the US.
Rahm stormed to the turn in six-under 29 before adding four more birdies on the back nine.
"It was a great round," Rahm said. "The swings didn't feel that different today to the first two days. I think I mentioned in a couple interviews that in the first two rounds, a couple of the not-so-good swings cost me a little bit too much, right?
"Either I hit it in a hazard or put myself in a spot where making par was difficult, and that's why I was a little bit out of pace. Today, everything just seemed perfect, right? Made a lot of great swings, and the ones that weren't great, still gave myself a good result."
He needed an eagle three at the last for a 59 but plugged his drive in a fairway bunker and eventually made five after being forced to pitch out.
Rahm's other 61s came in the third rounds at the 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship and the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
If he wins today, he will become the first player with five wins in a PGA Tour season before May 1 since Johnny Miller in 1974.
"If I putt as good as I did today, I'll definitely give myself a chance," said Rahm, who had just 25 putts in his 61.
Bhatia (21), who won The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, made four birdies and an eagle in his last six holes for a 63.
"Today was amazing because I felt very calm, and I'm just putting myself more and more in this position," Bhatia said. "And I know I'm capable of winning—obviously won on the Korn Ferry Tour—so I know what the feeling's feel like going into tomorrow."
He'll play in the final group with Rahm and Finau, who made five birdies in his last seven holes in a six-under 65 for a two-shot lead on 19-under.
"I think it definitely got my juices going a little bit and was able to make a few birdies coming in to stay in front of him," Finau said of Rahm's Saturday charge from tied 12th to second.
"It was something I expected going into today. He's an amazing golfer. I play with him a lot, and to see him at the top of the leaderboard after only 12 or 13 holes was not a big surprise to me."
Brandon Wu's 67 left him solo fourth, just three shots behind Finau on 16-under, with Will Gordon the next best, six shots behind in fifth place after a 67.
Rahm is bidding for his seventh win in 15 starts—a run that began with his third win in four years at the Acciona Open de España at Club de Campo in Madrid in October last year.
Twice a winner of the Irish Open (2017 at Portstewart and 2019 at Lahinch), the big Basque (28) has won 20 times as a professional in 163 starts, winning at least twice yearly worldwide since claiming the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in 2017.
Third-Round Leaderboard
Tony Finau 65-64-65—194 (-19)
Jon Rahm 67-68-61—196 (-17)
Akshay Bhatia 68-65-63—196 (-17)
Brandon Wu 66-64-67—197 (-16)
Will Gordon 67-66-67—200 (-13)
Things to Know
Tony Finau seeks his sixth PGA TOUR title and fourth since finishing runner-up at the 2022 Mexico Open at Vidanta
Finau’s score of 18-under 194 sets the 54-hole tournament record
World No. 1 and FedExCup leader Jon Rahm ties his career-low score on TOUR with a bogey-free 10-under 61
Rahm’s 61 sets the 18-hole tournament record
Defending champion Rahm sits two strokes back in bid to successfully defend on TOUR for the first time in seven tries
Special Temporary Member Akshay Bhatia seeks to become the first Special Temporary Member to win on TOUR since Tom Kim at the 2022 Wyndham Championship
Third-Round Lead Notes
1 Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win the Mexico Open at Vidanta (Jon Rahm, 2022)
14 Third-round leaders/co-leaders to win on TOUR in 2022-23 (most recent: Matt Fitzpatrick/RBC Heritage)
Tony Finau (1st/-19)
Career-low opening 54-hole score: 194 (previous: 195/2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic)
Eighth 54-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and is 2-for-7 converting the victory (2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, 2022 Cadence Bank Houston Open); has finished no worse than fifth when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead
PGA TOUR wins (5): 2016 Puerto Rico Open, 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship, 2022 3M Open, 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, 2022 Cadence Bank Houston Open
With a win, would have four victories in his last 18 starts (span of 280 days)
Seeks to become the fourth multiple winner this season (Jon Rahm, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler)
Owns nine top-25s in 12 starts this season and has made 11 of 12 cuts this season; his two most recent starts mark his only finishes outside the top-25 this season (T26/Masters Tournament, T31/RBC Heritage)
Second-highest ranked player in the field at No. 16 and is one of four players in the field that has won on TOUR this season (Nico Echavarria, Jon Rahm, Matt Wallace)
Making his second appearance at the Mexico Open at Vidanta after posting a final-round 63 to finish T2 (2022)
Jon Rahm (T2/-17)
Ties his career-low score on TOUR with a third-round 10-under 61 (previous: 61/2020 WGC Mexico Championship/R3, 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions/R3)
Bogey-free 61 sets 18-hole score tournament record (previous: 63) and marks his 52nd career bogey-free round on TOUR
Hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation for the 11th time on TOUR
2022 Mexico Open at Vidanta champion has never successfully defended a title in six previous attempts on TOUR
Finish Result on PGA TOUR as Defending Champion
TBD 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta
T12 2022 U.S. Open
T9 2021 BMW Championship
WD 2021 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday
7th 2021 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (with partner Ryan Palmer)
6th 2019 American Express
T29 2018 Farmers Insurance Open
Seven-time DP World Tour winner has successfully defended one title on DP World Tour (Open de España in 2018, 2019)
Would become the fourth player to successfully defend a title this season (Max Homa, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler)
There were five successful title defenses on TOUR last season (most since 2007)
Has four wins this season, including the Masters Tournament; with a win, would become the first player to win five times in a season since Justin Thomas in 2016-17
Has $13,623,540 in Official Money in 11 starts this season, and with at least a two-way tie for third or better would set the TOUR record for most Official Money earned in a single season (most: $14,046,910/Scottie Scheffler/2021-22)
Akshay Bhatia (T2/-17)
Matches career low on TOUR with an 8-under 63 (R2/2022 RSM Classic, R2/2023 Corales Puntacana Championship)
Seeks his first career TOUR title in his 28th start (best: 2nd/2023 Puerto Rico Open)
Last Special Temporary Member to win on TOUR: Tom Kim/2022 Wyndham Championship
Last left-handed player to win on TOUR: Garrick Higgo/2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree
One of three players that have joined PGA TOUR as Special Temporary Members this season, all are in the field this week (Ryan Gerard, Nicolai Hojgaard)
Has unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the season as he seeks his PGA TOUR card for the 2024 season
Miscellaneous notes
Brandon Wu (4th/-16) owns two runner-up results in 56 starts on TOUR, including T2 at this event last year when he posted a final-round 63 (T2/2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am); with a win, would become the eighth first-time winner on TOUR this season
Making his PGA TOUR debut as a sponsor exemption, Raul Pereda (T17/-8) would qualify for next week’s Wells Fargo Championship with a T10 or better
