Field Level Media
18 Apr 2026, 06:25 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters via Imagn Images)
Jon Rahm used a strong back nine during Friday's second round to take a narrow lead at the halfway point of LIV Golf Mexico City in Naucalpan, Mexico.
Rahm -- who backdoored his way into a top-40 finish last week at the Masters by shooting 4 under in the final round to finish at 1 over -- overcame a rocky front nine to shoot 4 under on the back nine, post 67 at Club de Golf Chapultepec and sit at 10-under-par 132.
The Spaniard was in second place after the opening round at 6 under. He's now one stroke clear of Matthew Wolff, Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland and Harold Varner III, who are all tied at 9 under.
'I was even par on that 9th tee, and I thought, 'Well, if I hit a good tee shot on 9, I'm going to give myself a birdie chance,'' Rahm said after the round. 'If I keep hitting good drives like I've been doing so far, I was going to give myself really good chances at 10, 11 and 12, so I think I told (caddie) Adam (Hayes), 'If we can get one or two before we get to the par-5s, I think we're in a good spot,' and kind of took it that way.'
Rahm, who started on the first tee at the shotgun-start event, opened with a bogey, which set the tone for an even-par front nine with three birdies and three bogeys. That included a ball into the water at No. 8, which led to a second consecutive bogey.
He changed the tune by starting his back nine with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole, kicking off a bogey-free final half of his round. Rahm racked up four birdies to put himself in pole position as he seeks his second 2026 win and sixth straight top-five finish to begin the season.
Wolff, McKibbin and Luis Masaveu of Spain (who is in fifth place at 8 under) each shot 6-under 65 to shoot up the leaderboard.
Wolff navigated a number of tough situations with par saves to come away with a bogey-free round.
'I was a bit all over the place, to be honest. I told my caddie after I finished up, I said, 'I would have never guessed that that round would be bogey-free.' I feel really good with the putter, so I think that helped a lot,' Wolff said. '... Overall, obviously I'm really happy, but definitely would like to tighten the ball-striking up a little bit. But it's day by day. Hopefully I can leave that bad ball-striking behind and hit it good the next few days.'
Australia's Marc Leishman had the low round of the day, posting a 7-under 64 to move past his 3-over opening round to move into a tie for 11th at 4 under. He eagled Nos. 7 and 12, finishing 5 under at the three par-5 holes during his Friday round.
First-round leader Victor Perez of France followed up his career-best 9-under 62 by shooting 2 over on Friday. He's tied for sixth at 7 under along with Canada's Richard T. Lee and England's Tyrrell Hatton.
Bryson DeChambeau, aiming to become the first player in LIV Golf history to win three straight individual events, posted his second straight even-par 71 and is in a tie for 31st.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Greek Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: A surge in high-paying banking jobs across Europe has done little to close the gender gap at the top of the financial...
HOUSTON, Texas: A sharp disruption to Middle East oil flows has pushed the United States to the brink of becoming a net crude exporter...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Two of the largest names in the U.S. pizza market are moving closer to potential sales, as mounting cost pressures...
WASHINGTON D.C.: Governments should resist the urge to roll out broad fuel subsidies to cushion the blow of surging energy prices triggered...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A proposed tie-up between United Airlines and American Airlines could dramatically reshape the U.S. aviation sector,...
SAO PAULO, Brazil: Chinese investment in Brazil is increasingly shifting toward consumer-facing sectors, as companies target the country's...
(Photo credit: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters via Imagn Images) Jon Rahm used a strong back nine during Friday's second round to take a...
The draft law was criticized for allegedly conflating legitimate criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish sentiment French lawmakers...
Arizona [US], April 18 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) claimed that he played a key role in resolving multiple...
Arizona [US], April 18 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said that any agreement with Iran would not take full...
Beirut [Lebanon], April 18 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, during...
Islamabad [Pakistan], April 18 (ANI): A fresh round of talks between Iranian and American negotiators is expected to take place in...
