St. Louis, Missouri …

Justin Rose was full of praise for Jon Rahm in the manner he conducted himself but also critical of marshalles over a bizarre incident at the eighth hole on day two of the PGA Championship at Bellerive.

Rahm had played a drive down the left side of the fairway and with the Spaniard’s ball coming to rest in rough just a yard or so off the fairway.

“I definitely felt I touched it with the top of my foot. I know I touched it. I don’t believe I moved it all,” Rahm told the official, clearly not happy with the marshals.

“Nobody was marking where the ball was. There’s nobody telling me where the ball is.”

You could argue, and many have done so already on social media, but Rahm believed he accidently stepped onto his ball or caused his ball to move.

A rules official was called and with Rahm calling a one-stroke penalty on himself but managing to save par on route to a three-under par 67 and move into a share of ninth place at five-under par when play was suspended for the day due to mid-afternoon thunderstorms.

Playing alongside Rahm was Rose.

“I was right there with him on the side of the eighth hole and it’s frustrating, and I will have a little whinge on his behalf,” said Rose.

Justin Rose suggesting marshalls could have done more to stop Jon Rahm walking on his golf ball at the 8th hole (Photo @tourmiss)

“It’s happened to me before and even with spotters out there but they don’t seem to be paying much attention to exactly where the ball finishes as a couple of times I’ve been in the rough and they could have done a better job out there today.

“Jon had a particulary poor lie and it was one of those that was probably only a yard away from his where ball lay.

“So, it is a harsh rule and you clearly see where was the front of his footprint and the ball was right on the back edge, and he felt he brushed the ball and that point you don’t know whether you moved the ball or not.

“Though the rule is the rule I suppose and they ruled rightly.”

Rahm took a shoulder-length penalty drop and went on to save par and the Spaniard’s demeamour over the two rounds has clearly impressed the 2016 Olympic Gold medallist.

“I was impressed with Jon over the last couple of days and there has been plenty of opportunities for him to get frustrated and on a golf course where everyone is going low,” said Rose.

“He stayed patient and got rewarded with a bogey-free round and while there was not much happening for him over his first seven holes, he did manage to squeeze out a few birdies he definitely did a really good job of keeping it together.

“The thing is also if he was to play his ball from it’s original lie he may very well have walked off with a bogey.”

It proved to be an eventful morning for Rahm, whose opening tee shot struck a spectator in the head.

The man required medical attention and was kneeling with medical personnel as Rahm walked over to offer his apologies.

He was not seriously injured.

What was unlucky for the spectator was lucky for Rahm, because the ball ricocheted off the man’s head back towards the fairway, from where the Spaniard made a par.