Rahm penalized for picking up ball without mark: 'Hope I don't lose by 1'

Jon Rahm posted a nearly blemish-free 66 in Round 3 of the BMW Championship for one of the lowest scores of the week at Olympia Fields.

But his lone mistake was not caused by a bad shot, rather a mental error he made after hitting the green in regulation on the par-4 5th.

"I hit it 30, 40 feet short right of (the) line and was holding my marker in my pocket, just went at it, and for some reason, I just picked up the ball thinking I marked it already," Rahm explained.

"I was thinking of somebody else and something else or somebody, and yeah, I just picked up the ball without marking it, simple as that," he added.

The bizarre slipup cost Rahm one stroke for his only bogey of the day. He rebounded well, though. The Spaniard added three birdies to his scorecard following the blunder to climb within striking distance of the leaders.

"I just hope I don't lose by one," Rahm said. "I'm just going to say that. I just hope. And if I do, well, very well my fault. It's as simple as that."