Controlling the explosions
Rahm employs ex-bomb disposal expert as mental coach in bid to beat temper tantrums
Anyone who has witnessed an epic Jon Rahm tantrum will perhaps not be too surprised he has opted to employ a former bomb disposal expert as his mental coach.
The Spanish golfer’s temper is as stunning as his talent and it is Joseba del Carmen’s challenge to ensure the red mist does not obscure his remarkable progress.
Fans of Southampton Football Club should be interested in Rahm’s performance at the British Open this week, and not just for golf or betting reasons.
Del Carmen worked closely with Mauricio Pellegrino at Alaves and is expected to have a similar input at St Mary’s this season. Once a professional basketball player who later joined the police force, he is anything but your normal mind doctor. As Rahm, himself, explained.
“His philosophy is very personal,” Rahm said. “He likes to work with emotion and see what emotional state you are better off playing in. We have been working recently on new things that I really don’t know how to explain.
“He gets into quantum physics, which is kind of complicated. It’s a different way of thinking to tra- ditional psychologists. It is basically different dimensions, with the first one being the physical dimension and the fourth one being the mental dimension. I have it written down and it makes sense when he explains it to you. That’s why he is so good.”
Well, this is how Del Carmen explains it: “Quantum coaching is based on the fact that we are all part of the whole, that our energy is creative and that, therefore, what is important is not what you do but what you do and where you do it.”
Rahm is a Del Carmen disciple. He concedes his fiery nature could stop him reaching his potential.
At last month’s US Open in Wisconsin, Rahm suffered a meltdown which has already gone down in the game’s folklore. On his way to a missed cut, he pounded his wedge into the ground, before dropkicking it, flinging his ball into the distance and then, on his way to the next tee, punching a sign three times.
The day before, he had hurled a bunker rake and launched a seveniron into the air as if it were a javelin. In the week afterwards he was appropriately contrite. Rahm, 22, rang playing partners Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama to apologise and promised he would atone. Del Carmen was consulted and the fix was made.
Alas, as ever, it was only temporary. At the Irish Open two weeks ago, despite being comfortably clear on his way to a six-shot win at Portstewart, Rahm boiled over in the final holes, slamming his putter into the turf. It showed he was consistent — as furious in glory as in mediocrity.
“What happened at Erin Hills was so weak and it was bad for me. Anger and letting my emotions not get out of control is something I’ve been working on since I was a kid,” said Rahm.
“I’m really competitive and I don’t like hitting bad shots. None of us do, of course. But it has taken its toll on me. When I feel everything is going well, I let my guard down and things like that happen. It really shouldn’t. It’s something I need to keep working on and hopefully I can keep it up and amend it.”