Jon Rahm appeared in the press room of The Players, scene of the baptized fifth Major, a tournament in which the world number 1 will be at stake. This time he will not have a single rival as an applicant, but four: Morikawa, Hovland, Cantlay and Scheffler, although the options of these last two are less. “But I don’t feel pressured”, he clarifies after affirming that he did not know the number of golfers who could assault the world title.
Jon talked about many things, about the demanding which is the Ponte Vedra course (Florida) with its iconic 17th hole. “It’s not a course where you have to be focused on just one part of the game,” he clarifies. “It’s demanding from the tee, in the approaches… In everything.” Also that if his short game improves, being the golfer who statistically best plays from tee to green and also with the middle irons, he will be in contention on Sunday. “It is not necessary to read the statistics, I already know how they are. But I am working in that direction.”
But he also touched on other aspects. Like Kepa, the first of his children -he is expecting another-, he has changed his way of disconnecting. “I used to do it before shortly after finishing a lap, but now much more,” she admits. And of the tragedy that Ukraine is experiencing. “They’re bombing schools in the Ukraine and it’s crazy. I don’t know what goes through a human being’s mind to do that these days. I can’t rationalize it in my head, but it’s happening and I hope they can find a solution soon.”
The golfer from Barrika adds that everything is “very sad. Those people in Ukraine right now need help because they are going through what they are going through being innocent. I am speechless every time I think about it because I honestly can’t believe it. I find it hard to believe what goes through Putin’s mind to do this.”
