Jon Rahm angrily turns on spectator at The Open in tense confrontation

Golf star John Rahm flipped out at a spectator during The Open on Thursday after appearing to be whistled while he was taking his backswing as he aimed a shot down the fairway.

Rahm has arrived at Portrush in Northern Ireland hoping to boost his prospects to qualify automatically for the Ryder Cup, but got off to an awkward start.

The Spaniard lined up to take his shot in front of crowd of fans and after launching his drive he watched the ball tumbled into the long grass.

The 30-year-old was then left frustrated as he held his arms along and turned to the group of spectators and sarcastically congratulated the culprit.

He said: "Really? Whistling?" he said to the crowd that were watching while holding umbrellas amid the rainy conditions. "Great timing. Right on my backstroke. Really clever, whoever that was."

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Rahm did manage to recover as he made his way out of the rough before maintaining his 100 percent start on greens in regulation - though he did bogey on the 10th.

He is hoping to win this competition for the first time after coming joint-second back in 2023 - the same year he sealed his maiden triumph at The Masters. He also has a US Open win to his name from 2021.

After The Open, the Ryder Cup will be next on the agenda as captain Luke Donald looks to pick his squad ahead of the tournament's start date on September 26.

Rahm gave a flippant response when asked if he had been thinking about the Ryder Cup going into his campaign at The Open, mindful that he will need a good performance if he wants to ensure he qualifies automatically.

"I don't know how many times I can answer yes to that question," Rahm told reporters this week. "Yeah, it's been on my mind. It's been on my mind a year ago, and it will continue on my mind as long as I play golf in my career.

"So the Ryder Cup is always there. Obviously when I wake up in the morning here, I'm thinking about this, but the Ryder Cup will always be on my mind."