USA TODAY International Edition
Win shows Rahm’s game translating well on Tour
Born in a little town in Spain, Jon Rahm quickly fell in love with golf and grew up idolizing Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia.
When Rahm ventured for the first time to the USA in 2012 to play at Arizona State University, speaking little English but possessing big dreams, Tim and Phil Mickelson became instrumental figures — the former as a friend, mentor and coach for the Sun Devils team and the latter as a welcoming sort Rahm faced on the golf course on occasion and hoped to join on the PGA Tour.
During Rahm’s time at ASU, when his game spoke volumes but he was often lost in linguistic translation and overwhelmed in a new world, two other voices emerged as he grew as a man and as a player.
Moved to break down the language barrier as quickly as possible while taking on a challenging course load and keeping his powerful game on track, Rahm turned to rappers Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
The cadence of rap appealed to the latest winner on the PGA Tour as he memorized tracks, especially two of his favorite songs — Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie and Lamar’s Swimming Pools. “Memorizing rap songs in English … helped me out a lot to pronounce and actually understand what was going on and keeping up with people in conversation,” Rahm said after his breakthrough win Sunday in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. “You can look ( those songs) up. They’re good.”
Having to do burpees sped up the process, too. Rahm explained that whenever he spoke in Spanish at ASU he was forced to do exercises where he would drop to the floor and do push- ups, otherwise known as burpees.
“So you say a sentence that has 10 words, you’re making 10 bur- pees,” Rahm said. “And they’re not easy, they’re tiring.”
Rahm, 22, has no problems conversing these days as he’s proved to be a fast learner. And with his comfort and confidence level ascending at ASU, his golf game grew and he was the topranked amateur in the world for 60 weeks.
It didn’t take him long to go to the next level on the PGA Tour, either.
In his 12th start as a professional, the soft- spoken but aggressive Rahm broke from a logjam Sunday on the South Course at Torrey Pines with a birdie and two eagles in his last six holes, the second eagle coming on the last hole from 60 feet, to win by three. He’s 46th in the official world golf rankings.
The victory earned him a twoyear exemption on the Tour and trips to the Masters, The Players Championship, the PGA Championship and other big events. But his first trip will be a short trek from San Diego to his old stomping grounds in the Phoenix area.
He’ll make his second start in the Waste Management Phoenix Open starting Thursday at TPC Scottsdale. His first start — as an amateur in 2015 — went well as he captivated the hundreds of thousands of onlookers with his head- spinning power, playful interaction with the galleries and easygoing ways. Playing in his second PGA Tour event, he was in the mix to become the first amateur to win on Tour since Phil Mickelson did so in the 1991 Northern Telecom Open in Tucson. Rahm closed with a 68 to finish in a tie for fifth.
“I have never been so happy on a golf course in my life,” Rahm said.
He said the same thing Sunday in San Diego.
In perfect English. With a big smile.