Issue No. 4 · Sunday 8 November 2026
Rahm, Rory and a ___ on a par 3
I’ve found myself rooting for Yuto Katsuragawa in Abu Dhabi this week. I’d be lying if I said the bunker shot he holed on the 3rd in round one had nothing to do with it. Who have you got your eye on? In this issue
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Club golf |
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Photo: Stephen Bowler, CC BY 2.0, cropped
Clubbing up
We all know the drill. Winter creeps in, the temperature drops… and so does our distance.
Summer gives me the false impression I can crunch my irons 30yds further (give or take).
Not just because the ground is hard, which, if I’m being honest, is a huge help. But also, the ball is easier to compress and the warmer air is less dense. All of this contributes to a cheeky helping hand.
Winter then comes along to ruin the fun.
Colder air, cold balls that are harder to compress and a fairway that seems to hold onto the ball for dear life.
Don’t get me wrong, if someone asks how far my 7 iron goes I am absolutely quoting my summer yardage, but, let’s just remember to be realistic on the course.
Taking an extra club (or sometimes two), can really help keep those scores down.
How much yardage do you tend to lose in the winter?
Long read
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Photo: Active Magazine, CC BY 2.0
Rahm in front, Rory with the scenic route
Jon Rahm leads going into Sunday at Yas Links. He’s 18 under and, arguably, he has something to prove here post LIV.
Tyrrell Hatton (another LIV compadre) and Francesco Laporta are chasing.
Rahm did most of the damage just after the turn on Saturday.
Birdie, eagle, birdie from the tenth took him into the outright lead, and, another birdie at 15 helped him finish with a 66.
Rory had a nightmare on Thursday.
He picked up a two-shot penalty for improving his lie, which, you might remember Koepka highlighting a few weeks back…
He then went out on Friday and made 11 birdies in a round of 63. The first time he’s managed that many birdies in a DP World Tour round, apparently. Quite a response.
Saturday wasn’t much quieter. Three consecutive birdies to finish the front nine, followed by a double bogey at the tenth.
He then birdied the next four holes, including driving the green at the par-four 14th (show off).
Despite all his success in the Middle East, he’s never won the Aldar Championship. Fourteen appearances with ten top-three finishes, no trophy. You can see why he’d like to fix that.
While Rory has been finding several… creative ways to arrive at a good score, Scott hasn’t dropped a shot all week.
His third-round 66 leaves him 15 under, three behind Rahm. He’ll play alongside Rory and David Puig today.
There’s next week to think about too.
The Race to Dubai is the DP World Tour’s season-long points competition, and Abu Dhabi is its penultimate event.
The top 70 available players qualified for this week, with four rounds and no halfway cut.
After Sunday, the top 50 available progress to the season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates, from 12 to 15 November.
As things stand after Saturday, Rory is projected to move up to second in the season standings, behind Eugenio Chacarra.
Chacarra is tied 29th here at eight under, so there’s more at stake for Rory than finally getting his hands on the Abu Dhabi trophy.
Sky Sports Golf’s coverage starts at 6.30am. Rory, Scott and Puig tee off at 7.14am GMT, followed by Rahm, Hatton and Laporta at 7.25am.
My Sunday is sorted, Yuto has decided that (although at T67, perhaps cheering a win is a long shot). I hope yours will be as pleasantly uneventful as mine. Catch you next Sunday.
Bad Bounce & Co · West Sussex |
P.S.
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