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HNA OPEN DE FRANCE

June 30, 2018

Jon Rahm

Paris, France

Q. 68, birdie, birdie finish, on this course feels like eagle, eagle, I would imagine in. How did that day feel?
JON RAHM: A lot of ups-and-downs. After the third hole on the fourth tee box if you tell me I was going to finish 3-under par today, I would have paid whatever I could to finish 3-under par, and if you tell me after the 15th tee shot when I was in the fescue that I was going to finish 3-under par, I would say you're mental. It just didn't seem possible. To get a par over there gave me a lot of confidence. It could have actually been birdie, birdie, birdie, because that one on 16 was pretty close.

Q. How good was the par on 15?
JON RAHM: Oh, God, I actually got -- I can't lie. I got extremely lucky. All the luck I didn't have the first two days I got it today. It did go in the fescue but it was in the sprinkler so all the fescue was away in a flower motion.

So once I got in there, I could be stiff enough to where at least I could get contact with the ball because sometimes you can't even get in contact. I got it to the semi rough, hit a great pitching wedge from 120 meters to about 15 feet past the pin and you know, as soon as I got it, I just completely saw the break. I got one of those moments where I got so focused I can't remember what happened. I just saw the ball go in the hole.

Q. How excited about tomorrow and the opportunity to win a third Rolex Series?
JON RAHM: Extremely. Hopefully I think it's Chris Wood, does no worse than bogey on 18 and I play with Sergio, which I think tomorrow could be a great day. He had a great round today and to have two Spanish playing together, contending, plus two more in the Top-10s, it's something great for us and for Spanish golf, so hopefully one of us gets a win tomorrow.

Q. How would you analyse your day?
JON RAHM: Analyse, well, it's obviously a great score. I know there were a lot of people shooting low today but after double-bogey on 3, anything under par was a great score today, so I'm really proud of the way I played and especially the way I finished.

Q. You are 6-under now and everything is possible for tomorrow?
JON RAHM: Yeah, I mean, I'm guessing the course will be set up tough again tomorrow. We'll probably get more wind than we did today, and you know, once it's windy out here, anything under par can get it done, so you never know.

Q. Is it important for you to show to Justin Thomas that the albatross here, the European place for The Ryder Cup?
JON RAHM: I hope we don't need to show him too much. The less they know the better, that's kind of how I feel. But I think he's known enough. It's a tricky golf course. You need to play really good to play well, so no matter what Thomas BjÃ¶rn and The European Tour do for the golf course, you still need to play well. You can't cheat around it. You can't overpower it. You have to play good. Again, hopefully they don't learn too much.

Q. It's a fantastic finish, you must be very pleased?
JON RAHM: I would have not thought birdie was a possibility off the tee to be honest, after hitting it in the rough. But yeah, I'm extremely pleased. I played 17 about as perfect as I could have hit every single shot, and 18, once I saw the lie I had, at least I knew I could hit the green and make the putt, which is a complete bonus.

Q. When you hit the deep rough on 15, you must have thought, here we go again, having double dipped the previous two days. Again it was a fantastic recovery.
JON RAHM: Of course it had to happen that way. I hit 2-iron the first to days, dead center, and no more than 8-iron to the pin and both times in the water made a double.

Of course today, I hit 2-iron. Snap-hook it in the fescue, chip it out. Of course, pitch it into the green. I was thinking, I'm like, well, if I 2-putt it, at least I lower my score today, so that's already an improvement. But as soon as I got to the green, I was so focused and I was so determined to make that par. I told Adam once we were on 12, we're not going to drop a shot from here on out.

I just saw the break and I got really into it and the ball went in dead-center.

Q. Does the way the you played the first three days mean even more the fact the conditions have been so tough?
JON RAHM: Yeah, I've played really good golf to be honest, and I know I'm not the only one saying that. I've made really one really bad swing per round, which is really rare in the sport of golf, and every single time it's cost me a double-bogey. That's what kind of golf course it is, which is even more impressive to see what July January Surrey did today to shoot 2-under with no dropped shots, that's unbelievable.

It's a tough golf course, really difficult, even for somebody like me who is usually known to be a ball-striker. It's hard for me to keep it away from bogeys and hazards. It's a challenge and I'm going to need a really good day tomorrow to hopefully get it done.

Q. How do you approach tomorrow, in contention for a third Rolex Series Event win?
JON RAHM: Four shots to make up. Hopefully we get a fast start and finish strong.

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