Garcia win buoys Rahm for US Open

ERIN: 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 No.1 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 the intimidating layout at Erin Hills in Wisconsin is perfectly suited to his game.

And he revealed that Garcia’s dramatic play-off win over Justin Rose at Augusta in April, his first major title after years of nearmisses, 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 match play. 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 got a chance to look at Erin Hills, which is staging the US Open for the first time, with a practice round on Monday.

“It’s like a links golf course on steroids, everything is a little bigger,” Rahm said. “But I think it’s US Open, they expect our best.”