. David Puig, again 2 under par, is in 19th place, having reached the halfway point of the Olympic tournament.

. A three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard exists between American Xander Schauffele, Japanese Hideki Matyusama, and Briton Tommy Fleetwood, all with 11 under par.

Two memorable strikes, three consecutive birdies between holes 2 and 4 and another string of three consecutive successes between 14 and 16, constituted Jon Rahm's warrior declaration of intent during the second day of the Olympic tournament.

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A positive debut and an even more solid second round have had very positive consequences in the standings for the Spanish golfer: fourth place, on the lookout for those who in one way or another have become, for the moment, unbeatable.

This is the case of the trio of players - the American Xander Schauffele, the Japanese Hideki Matyusama and the British Tommy Fleetwood - who lead the table with 11 under par, two strokes less than Jon Rahm, achieved in all cases by similar but different means.

Matsuyama's patient and methodical performance, which allowed him to maintain the sole lead acquired the previous day throughout the day, was broken at the last moment when he signed for a double bogey as a result of a ball embedded in the rough, a shot in practice impossible to solve that led to the double penalty.

The Asian player's unexpected stumble was immediately capitalized on by Xander Schauffele and Tommy Fleetwood. The American, reigning Olympic champion and with two majors under his belt this year, added a valuable 5 under par to his -6 from the first day, a score also achieved by the Briton through relentless accuracy.

An eagle and six birdies preceded a final hole that was also disastrous for Fleetwood, who made an untimely bogey that slightly hampered his chances while, with a three-way tie at the top and Jon Rahm lurking, it raises the excitement of the tournament to truly Olympic levels.

Indeed, very close to all of them, giving the impression—as they know—that Jon Rahm must be taken very seriously no matter how far behind he is, the Spanish golfer raised his fist in the air on the 18th hole after sinking a tricky putt that capped off his celebration. “It was more of a gesture of relief than anything else,” Jon Rahm admitted at the end of his remarkable round, a 66 for a total of 133, placing him in the zone where a medal is already within reach with 36 holes to go.

The Spanish golfer more than delivered on the second day, handling all types of shots superbly and making his only mistake of the day—three putts on the 8th hole after landing on the green from the tee—a mere footnote. Before and after that solitary bogey, he had many positive plays that solidified his position in a group that has gained a small but significant advantage over the rest of the field.

Eager to achieve this, and not giving up on anything, Spaniard David Puig also made a bold statement of intent after repeating his first-round score of 69. “We came here for a medal, not just to play well,” the Barcelona native declared confidently at the end of his round.

A strong start, followed by a more subdued and challenging finish on the first day, saw David Puig reverse his performance to reach the same position, a more suitable route in any case, with some final successes that kept his spirits high. Currently in 19th place, the Spaniard's courage and drive remain undiminished. His mentor and friend Rahm has shown him the way.