Jon Rahm: “If I have to pay to be part of the team, I probably will”

Rome is warming up for next Friday’s start Ryder Cup 2023. This Tuesday is the day set for the protagonists to reflect in a press conference on how the main event in the world of golf was presented next weekend and to the players who checked it, one of the leaders could not be lost of Europe, such as Jon Rahm.

The Barrika player will once again show drawings to become one of the references of the Old Continent team. Rahm will be making his third Ryder appearance, where he helped the European team win in 2018 and where he was the leader with 3.5 points two years ago, which, however, was not enough for Europe to beat the United States. For this reason, the Basque player is clear about what he prefers before a very intense weekend marked in red on the calendar to try to regain the trophy.

“I hope I get three or four points every time I play, because I always go out with the intention to win. My intention is to win every game“Rahm analyzed. “If he gets five points and wins, I’ll be happy. but, Above all, what matters is that the team can win by 14.5 pointsregardless of the fact that I could only get half a point” said the former world number 1.

A condition at the top of the rankings that Rahm, now number 3 behind Scottie Shcffler and Rory McIlroy, no longer has, but which he considers irrelevant in an event like Ryder. “I was number 1 in the world at the last Ryder and it meant nothing”, he assured. “We have to do what we have to and whether we are or not doesn’t matter,” he reflected on the special format of this tournament. “We have prepared ourselves to face the ‘match play’ in the best way and to do this it is best to focus on your rival. It’s a different atmosphere than any other tournament.Rahm said.

Jon explains why. “When you’ve played this tournament a few times you know how special it is and how much fun it is to do it again. The atmosphere, regardless of whether you win or not, is incredible. It also resides within the team, as a team“Rahm said. “It’s a very special feeling, I don’t need anyone to encourage me with money to play in front of all these people. If I have to pay a toll to be part of the team, I probably will” said Jon.

This time, Rahm comes with a lot of stripes in the team in Europe, not only because of his outstanding performance in recent months, but also because of his experience within the team led by Henrik Stenson. Only Rory McIlroy, with six, and Justin Rose, with five, have competed in more Ryder Cups than him. Along with Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, Jon will experience his third Ryder and will have a veteran role to try to combine and help debutants or players with fewer stripes.

For this reason, Rahm explained the importance of personal relationships established in the field between team members. “There are people who are the first to face that Ryder and haven’t had a chance to develop them,” he said of one of the roles he had to play this week. “They have the potential to be here and do it”, assured Rahm, who was grateful for the mentoring role of two players who will not be with him this year, such as Sergio García and Ian Poulter, with him in the past. “I remembered that I was asked almost nothing in my debut, because I am a very shy personRahm smiled.

Now, the Spaniard is ready to continue building a special story in a Ryder Cup where he has always shown his admiration, even long before being a part of it. Europe hasn’t lost a home run since 1993, a situation that has the United States all the more motivated. Rahm is ready to face it. “It’s a big challenge to try to extend that streak as long as possible. Hopefully we’ll get to the next decade with it open”he assured.