Rahm all stoked up to earn his Major stripes
RISING Spanish star Jon Rahm says Sergio Garcia’s emotion-fuelled Masters triumph has made him even more determined to land his maiden major as he prepares for this week’s US Open.
The big-hitting 22-year-old is one of the brightest talents in golf, having climbed to 10th in the world rankings barely a year after turning professional following a 23rdplace finish as an amateur at the 2016 US Open.
Rahm, who opened 2017 with a superb win at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, has since twice pushed world number one Dustin Johnson to the brink at the WGC Mexico and Match Play events.
It is the sort of rise that prompted former US Open champion Johnny Miller to remark that Rahm “has ‘future world number one written all over his forehead”.
Rahm believes that the intimidating layout at Erin Hills in Wisconsin is perfectly suited to his game this week.
And he revealed that Garcia’s dramatic playoff win over Justin Rose at Augusta in April, his first major title after years of near-misses, had motivated him to think big. “It just motivates me. We’ve played together a bunch this year. I’ve played against him in the matchplay. He’s beat me many times,” Rahm said of Garcia.
“I’ve seen him play. And I see what he can do. And I know what I’m capable of. It makes me believe that I do think I’ll be able to win a major some day.
“A close friend of mine winning a tournament motivates me. A Spaniard winning a major is always going to motivate me.”
Rahm, meanwhile, got a chance to look at Erin Hills, which is staging the US Open for the the first time, with a practice round on Monday. The par-72 layout set in the countryside outside Milwaukee will be the longest course in the history of major tournament golf. “It’s like a links golf course on steroids, everything is a little bigger,” said Rahm. “But I think it’s US Open, they expect our best.”
Meanwhile, Rahm agreed with fellow golfer Kevin Na, who took to social media on Sunday to complain about the length of the fescue rough across the course, describing it as “unplayable”. Rahm said he had steered clear of the rough while surveying the course on Monday.
“I didn’t step in it. I’m like there’s no need to injure my wrist this week before I teeoff,” he said.
“It really looks very penalising. It looks like a 30-yard chip out to the fairway. It doesn’t look easy to move out of there. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone loses a ball, has to take an unplayable.” — AFP