Gorse-influenced swing sees Jon Rahm gain two shots on Brian Harman

Nobody wants to be in the gorse, unless, of course, you manage to get out of it unscathed.

Jon Rahm was the lucky one Sunday on Royal Liverpool’s par-5 fifth hole.

Brian Harman, the man Rahm and Co. are chasing at this 151^st Open, was not.

Let’s start with Rahm. When he pulled his drive at No. 5, it looked destined to end up in the middle of a pack of thick gorse bushes left of the fairway. However, when television cameras panned to Rahm’s ball, it was sitting in a clear spot within the gorse and on some mown fescue.

Rahm was able to smack his second shot just shy of the putting surface and get up and down for and easy birdie to climb to 7 under.

Harman, in the group behind, then sent his drive cutting toward the same cluster of gorse. Only Harman didn’t get the same break as Rahm. He was forced to take an unplayable. Though Harman hit a nice fairway wood up 244 yards up just short of the green, he couldn’t later hole a 12-footer to save par.

Harman’s bogey dropped him to 10 under, just three clear of a charging Rahm.