Toward the end of a season dominated by a mixture of mediocrity and disappointment, this was finally supposed to be a good time for Jon Rahm to be aLIVe. Two weeks after claiming the $18 million bonus that came with victory in the LIV Golf League season points title and just five days after becoming a father of three, the former U.S. Open and Masters champion began the last day two-shots off the pace but still a warm favorite to win the Open de Espana for a fourth time.

It didn’t happen.

Repeating the strangely erratic performance that saw him blow a four-shot lead halfway through the final round of the Paris Olympics, Rahm hit shots all over the Club de Campo course in Madrid—many good, some (really) bad, a few inspired—en route to a closing 68 that was good enough to match the 72-hole aggregate of 14-under-par 270 posted by fellow Spaniard, Angel Hidalgo.

The playoff lasted two holes. Both protagonists made birdie first time round, but only Hidalgo, a two-time Spanish Amateur champion, managed to repeat that feat twice.

“I played a pretty smart game, pretty good game, so yeah, I’m happy,” said Hidalgo, 26, who admitted to attending the championship “two or three years ago” just to watch Rahm in action. “Especially with beating Jon, who is the most important player in the last 20 or 30 years in Spain.”

The moment @Angel_Hidalgo7 will never forget 🤩#AccionaOpen pic.twitter.com/YBjXVljLfp

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 29, 2024

Still, that level of prominence was only sporadically matched by Rahm’s play on the day. More often than not he was undone by a lack of accuracy off the tee, what was the eventual deciding factor. Missing well left of the putting surface on the second playoff hole, Rahm was unable to get up-and-down and it was over.

Indeed, amidst a performance that was unpredictable from start-to-finish, eight birdies dotted Rahm’s 20-hole day, but so did a double bogey. In there was a succession of those wild tee shots, one of which led to a provisional ball. In there were hints of Rahm’s undoubted greatness, highlighted by the birdie-birdie finish that led to the playoff. And in there was ultimate frustration, albeit laced with some satisfaction.

“I’m thinking that on Tuesday morning I was still in the in another country, on the other side of the Atlantic,” Rahm said. “In the end, I’m happy. It’s a pity to have lost in the playoff and not have been able to do better today. I can’t say it has been a bad week. I gave myself a chance to win, which is what I wanted. I gave it my all until the end, and I’m proud of myself.”

There are positive implications for Rahm that go far beyond the short-term low of losing his national title and missing the chance to match Marcelino Morcillo (1946, ’48, ’49, ’51) as a four-time champion. All surely provided much of the motivation that saw Rahm appeal the sanctions levied against him by the DP World Tour for competing in LIV events opposite those on what remains his home circuit.

Stuart Franklin

Now eighth in the standings (the top-six qualify automatically), there are 166.8 Ryder Cup qualifying points against Rahm’s name, which will undoubtedly please European captain Luke Donald.

There are also Ryder Cup implications in Rahm’s jump from 125th to 41st on the Race to Dubai. With appearances in the upcoming Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the Andalucia Masters, his chances of making it into the Middle East playoff events in November are much enhanced. The top 70 on the Race to Dubai qualify for the first of those in Abu Dhabi; the top 50 will take part in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai a week later.

And there will be a boost, less importantly, to Rahm’s inevitably plummeting world ranking. In 2024 he has played only four other events that count for those points—the Masters, PGA Championship, Open Championship and the Olympics.

So there’s plenty of good news for Rahm, even in defeat. Not that any of it will mitigate the inevitable sting that comes with losing. But hey, life/LIV goes on.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com