USA TODAY International Edition
Rahm’s quick temper could be biggest foe
DUBLIN, Ohio – Jon Rahm feels the TV cameras watching. And waiting.
“C’mon, kid, throw a club,” they plead. “Kick some sand. Lose your cool.” Will he oblige?
Can he help himself?
“You can’t control what you feel and your emotions, but you can control your actions,” said Rahm, who won the 45th Memorial Tournament on Sunday to become the No. 1- ranked player in the world. “If you’re going to get mad like I get mad, just assume you’re going to get a little bit of criticism.”
Managing anger has been Rahm’s quest for as long as the “hot- blooded Spaniard” label has followed him, a stereotype built on the backs of fellow countrymen Sergio Garcia and Seve Ballesteros, whose emotions often got the best of them.
Off the course, the 25- year- old is polite as a boyfriend visiting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. He says all the right things.
“Golf is just what I do, not who I am,” he said, responding to how moving past Rory McIlroy into the top world ranking would not change him.
But between the ropes Rahm is sometimes fiery ( which can be good) and sometimes over- the- top outraged. He has not helped his cause with the cameras, tossing them red meat by throwing tantrums when a par putt lips out or a flop shot flops like a dad joke. Or, as he was seen during the final round on Sunday sledgehammering his wood into the browning Muirfield Village turf after a poor shot – a harsh reaction that caused CBS broadcaster Nick Faldo to wag a verbal finger. “Chill,” Faldo said.
At the 2017 U. S. Open at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, a 22- year- old Rahm reacted to a pending missed cut by slamming his wedge into the ground before drop- kicking it, flinging his ball into the distance and then punching a sign three times on his way to the next tee. The day before, he threw a bunker rake and tomahawked a 7- iron into the air. The cameras cheered.
Rahm later apologized to playing partners Rickie Fowler and Hideki Matsuyama and promised to clean up his act, hiring a former bomb disposal expert – how appropriate – as a mental coach.
It worked, until it didn’t.
Soon after his U. S. Open meltdown, Rahm slammed his putter into the turf on the final day of the Irish Open despite breezing to a six- shot win, demonstrating that his outbursts have more to do with competitive frustration than with being a sore loser.
Rahm desperately wants to play well, and when he doesn’t ... kaboom. But when does ... wowza. There are few players on the PGA Tour whose games stack up with his, top to bottom.
Rahm leads the PGA Tour in total driving, which combines distance and accuracy off the tee; ranks ninth in scoring average ( 69.6); and eighth in shots gained on the field ( 1.6). The 25- year- old shows excellent touch around the greens.
The only chink in his armor lies inside that coat of mail.
What’s the line: The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem? If so, Rahm is well on his way to finding inner peace. It used to take several holes to calm himself, then several minutes, and now his return to tranquility necessary for the laser focus needed to play well consistently happens in several seconds. Or so.
“If you’ve watched golf the last year, you know what my reaction is going to be,” he said, shrugging.
Keep watching and Rahm will give you something else to see the smiles that accompany victories.