Rahm stays calm, moves on
Controls temper after rough start at Farmers
There are ver y few golfers more exciting to watch than Jon Rahm. When things are good you see a golfer with very few equals in the game. When things are bad you see a level of rage also with few equals in the game.
On Friday at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, we nearly saw both. After finding two bunkers and bogeying the first hole he was already heating up. After badly missing a short birdie putt at the fourth hole his pot was starting to bubble. Then, at the fifth he hit a 60- foot putt that looked destined for the bottom of the cup before it hit the lip hard and spun out to eight feet. You know the hiss right before your kettle boils over? That’s where we were at.
Playing alongside Tiger Woods there was no shortage of eyeballs on the big Spaniard. When Rahm rolled in the eight- foot par putt I thought I saw his golf bag breath a sigh of relief that it wasn’t going to have a putter flying toward it quite yet.
That putt seemed to calm the world No. 3 as he went on to birdie the next three holes.
Until Rahm wins a major championship the question will be, is his temper is holding him back? Despite Friday’s slow boil, Rahm has shown signs of getting his emotions under control. And if there is any place he feels at peace it should be here at Torrey Pines. Rahm and wife Kelly were recently married in Spain but the couple has a second wedding planned nearby.
“We both said our favourite city in the world was San Diego,” Rahm said.
Four years ago when the couple first started dating, Rahm didn’t have a driver’s licence so Kelly drove him to the Monday qualifier for the Farmers Insurance Open and caddied for him.
“Well, carried the clubs,” Rahm corrected. “I missed it by one and we drove back.”
A year later, Rahm returned to San Diego and got his first PGA Tour win here at Torrey Pines.
“We love coming here and that’s why we keep having such great moments in life out here, too,” he said. “So hopefully there’s many more to come.”
Well, there will be one more for sure as Jon and Kelly’s second wedding will be bigger than the first.
“The one in Spain was small,” he said. “It was mainly family, to be honest. Mainly my family obviously. We are trying to basically have every family member be able to attend at least one. Her grandma can’t really fly all the way over there. My grandma’s going to try, which at 85 years old, it’s quite a journey.”
The wedding in Spain was a Catholic ceremony but this one will be more casual with a friend marrying them and vows written by the couple.
So next time you see the man they call Rahmbo about to explode on the golf course, remember that the fiery Spaniard has a soft side too.
“Do you want to know about the menu, anything else?” Rahm added.
SLOAN RANGER
Roger Sloan missed his second cut in as many weeks on Friday at the Farmers Insurance Open.
A Friday three- under 69 on the easier north course wasn’t enough to overcome Thursday’s four- over 76. Sloan has only made two cuts in nine starts this season but you wouldn’t know it talking to the 32- year- old Canadian.
“I actually was really pleased with how I played, I think I’m actually playing really, really good. It’s just I’m working on a few things with my putting so it’s been a little bit tough to trust out there and I think it’s cost me a couple cuts a couple weeks in a row,” Sloan said after his round. “But looking forward if we can dial that putter in we’re going to be solid for the rest of the year.”
One of the toughest aspects of professional golf is trying to balance swing or putting changes while maintaining competitiveness. Sloan’s week at Torrey Pines was sunk by a five-over 41 on the back nine on Thursday on the tougher south course.
“That back nine is demanding and I just fell on the wrong side of the fence on those holes over there,” he said. “Five bogeys, two threeputts. It bit me pretty hard, but it was nice to come out here today and play a little better and get some mojo going for next week.”
One thing that has Sloan smiling is that he once again has his entire family travelling with him. His wife Casey and daughter Leighton are mainstays on tour, but with the recent birth of son Jude this was the first week the entire gang was reunited on tour.
“I have a pretty good scoring average when the whole family is travelling together so I’m pumped for next week,” said.
He is also looking forward to seeing new dads Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor next week in Phoenix at the Waste Management Open.
“I’m going to see Adam and his new little girl, and Nick so it’s going to be a good week.”