I’M BACK JON THE PROWL
JON RAHM insists he is ready to contend for a first Major title after seeing his spell as world No.1 halted after just two weeks.
Rahm replaced Rory McIlroy at the top of the rankings following his victory in the Memorial Tournament, the Ryder Cup winner becoming just the second Spanish player after Seve Ballesteros to achieve the feat.
The 25-year-old had targeted a lengthy spell at the summit after admitting it was a big goal during the lockdown.
But he was replaced at th top following Justin Thomas’ victory in the WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational on Sunday, where Rahm was tied for 52nd in a 78-man field.
This week’s US PGA Championship will be only Rahm’s 15th major appearance and he admits his expectations have varied since finishing 23rd in the 2016 US Open at Oakmont, his last event as an amateur before turning pro.
At TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Rahm said: “Obviously I want to win and I’ve gone back and forth. Shortly after Oakmont, in my third Major at the Masters, I was already one of the favourites to win because I played good golf, so I never really had that adjustment period.
“Maybe I didn’t manage it as best I could have and I went from that to the total opposite of trying to have no expectations.
“I’m still trying to figure out the rapid ascent in golf that I had, so I’m out here to win.”
No fans will be on site to see whether Rahm can win his first Major or if Brooks Koepka can become the first player to lift the Wanamaker Trophy three years in succession since the US PGA became a stroke play event in 1958.
And Rahm said: “Just for the sheer fact that we have way more infrastructure than we are used to every other week, it already feels a little bit different.
“In Major championship weeks you don’t need anything special or spectators to make us aware or make it known it’s a Major championship.”