CHAMPION WILL CONTINUE WEARING HEART JON HIS SLEEVE
STRAIGHT-TALKING Jon Rahm has told his critics he won’t be cooling the jets in his quest to emulate his hero Seve Ballesteros as a multiple winner at the Irish Open.
Rahm’s feisty nature sizzled to the fore at last week’s French Open when he berated a photographer for snapping on his back swing at the 12th tee (inset).
But while the Spaniard appreciates the merits of staying calm in the heat of battle, he won’t be dimming his passion to try and please armchair pundits.
“I’m not going to change who I am,” he declared ahead of today’s opening round at Ballyliffin.
“I mean, it’s not like I have anger problems. Who doesn’t get frustrated playing this game? I do get mad but I move on.
“I was upset in France and I had every right to be upset. I think we all know not to take pictures 10 feet away on my backswing. It wasn’t the first time either.”
Rahm, who battered Portstewart into submission last year, is bidding to defend his Irish Open title and join the likes of Seve, who won the tournament three times in the 1980s.
“That would be amazing,” said
Rahm, who won the Spanish Open in
April and boasts four top-five finishes in his last six outings, including a T5 at last week’s
French Open. “I know Seve won it three times. Nick Faldo also won it more than once. It’s definitely a goal of mine to win it multiple times and hopefully at some point I can win it again.
“It’s a very prestigious event, not just because it’s a long-standing event, but what golf represents to this country. As defending champion I know how much it means.”
While Graeme Mcdowell believes Ballyliffin could be hit by a birdie train if the balmy weather stretches across four days, Rahm is bracing himself for a “test”.
He added: “It all depends on the weather. If the wind is going at 10 to 20 mph, I don’t think we’ll get 20-under par.”
Asked for his thoughts on the sun-kissed Glashedy Links, he said: “Absolutely stunning.
“The views from the 14th tee and seventh tee are probably some of the prettiest you’ll get in golf.”