Jon Rahm: “My family helps me separate golf from normal life”

World of sports had the opportunity this Tuesday to participate by zooming in on a virtual chat with Jon Rahm, new Masters champion. Several Spanish media, including the doyen of the Spanish sports press, enjoyed a relaxing time with the calm, relaxed Rahm, recently arrived from Hilton Head, where on Sunday he finished 15th in the RBC Heritage, and including Mexico. Open next week in Puerto Vallarta as the next stop on the PGA Tour (defending title).

“The last two weeks, each one different, very intense. Last time I was very tired, digesting what the Masters was like, but it was great to see all the support I had in Harbor Town, that week they made me feel like I was playing in Spain for real…” , is Jon’s first reflection.

The tradition at Augusta is the champion donate/give a stick to the club. Rahm is very clear about this. “They haven’t asked for anything yet, I understand that the champion leaves a stick, Scottie (Scheffler, champion in 2022)left his sand wedge 60 degrees, it was clear to me that if I had to give one, the 8-iron without a doubt, where I hit the second shot of the 14th hole on Sunday, the punch that wins me the tournament and is talked about very little. From 128 meters, the ball is low, with impact, from there, leave the ball a meter from the hole… without a doubt the Masters hit”, highlighted the Basque.

Jon has some challenges now, collect the grand slam is one of them, and the ‘major’ he most wants to win, if he has to choose one, is the PGA Championship “to close the Spanish Grand Slam” (the only one missing in our golf) “but personally the British tomorrowthe cradle of golf, the oldest tournament we have, tradition, I don’t hate anything, but the Open is the Open”.

This newspaper asked him about the challenge of overcoming the record 50 victories in Seve Ballesteros European Tour (87 in total on the five continents got the Cantabrian). “Fifty will be complicated, very difficult, I started my career very well, in Europe I have nine victories, ugh, complicated, but the other challenges you talk about: PGA, British, TPC, FedEx, Olympic gold, I’m going to love them A lot of ambition, and I want to be clear that I want to, “said Rahm. “Let’s not get too far, therefore, with the successes I have achieved this 2023, it will not always happen, my goal was to win a tournament and a ‘big one’ and I reached it. Five victories and one of them was a ‘major’ in one year, Tiger and a few others. Let’s see if I do,” he added.

Jon reflected on Augusta’s successful Sunday in these words: “I was exhausted, I got home, hung my jacket in the closet and went to sleep, it cost me a lot, adrenaline and such. That Sunday I got up at 5 in the morning, 30 holes… Between the third and fourth round, I ate, went to the physio, showered and changed clothes, it was like a new day, fixing up at the physio and on the putting green, nothing special. On Monday morning everything suddenly came to me and I started to cry, I don’t know why, when I saw a picture published by Golf Digest on 18, I cried like a child ”.

For Barrika his ‘American’ family is important. “They travel with me, since January they come to all the tournaments, they help me separate golf from normal life, I am happy with the children, then I go to the field, I concentrate, play me, and when I come back, I give them dinner, and if I play badly, they help me forget about golf more. They change my approach…”

Back at the Masters, he was asked if at any time that week he drove or scored anything. “Nothing in particular, I remembered that Txema (Olazabal) Training he told me that Seve is an artist, that he sees and thinks about impossible shots, which helped me on the 14th hole on Sunday, seeing the shot more than thinking about how to do it And one more thing, I can’t remember the day, when Phil (Mickelson) He told me: “We will have many moments in the locker room of champions.” And we will, yes.

His last two pearls in happy conversation were, if he heard the public outcry ‘Seven Seven’ enters every green and welcomes him standing on the last day. “There was a lot of support for me but also for Brooks, at 18 I realized everything, a lot of players told me that that ovation was very special, and it made it special for everyone.” And he closed with a wish, of course he did: “I hope when I go to Bilbao I have a match to get the honor roll with the green jacket, yes of course I would love it…”.