After all the good we achieved last season, my goal for 2022 is to get over it. My goal is always to do better every year. It will not be easy because I have had a very consistent year (15 top 10) and got a win, but now I can say that I would gladly trade a bit of that consistency for a few more wins. It all depends on how it is evaluated. In our sport it is difficult to count only victories as successes. You cannot think that a second place is a defeat. In any case, the goal in my mind is to have a better year.
Being Number One in the world is something you have to earn. I’m Number One because of how I’ve played in the past, so if I want to stay there, I have to keep playing at the highest level. After all, I can only focus on myself. I will try to improve my game and my level of golf. If I can do that and play the way that I know I can play, everything else should come by itself. I’m not constantly thinking about ‘Oh he’s Number 2 or he’s coming for me or I need to do this or that.’ I’m trying to play my best and win a tournament. I hope I can have another quality year and win several times.
As of June 2020 we played a lot of golf and I ended up getting two wins. I played golf very well on the big circuits. And then, in the break time, I changed material and worked harder than ever. I didn’t want changing clubs to be an excuse, so I worked hard and ended up playing very well throughout the year. I was prepared for the first few months to be a bit difficult, but all the hard work I did paid off and I started from the beginning by playing great golf and having chances to win. I had my moments with Covid, I was a father, I won the US Open, I played incredible golf and then I played a great Ryder Cup.
However, when Ryder ended I found myself exhausted from the previous year and a half. I returned to Spain and needed a break, not only for myself, but also for my family. We put up with it together and I wanted to have time to be a father and husband and be there for my wife and son. I am very happy to have done it because since Kepa was born, although we had help, I had not been able to contribute much because I was competing and had to sleep to be able to compete. As soon as I got home I told Kelley that I wanted to get more involved, I wanted to help and during those two months I really enjoyed having to wake up a couple of times at night and take care of my son. Being able to be there in the morning, feed him, bathe him at night, and just enjoy the simple things of parenthood, knowing that basically once he starts going to school I’ll miss fifty percent of his life. I really wanted to cherish and appreciate those moments. I know that I will not regret it every time I decide to spend more time with my family.
For the first two weeks back home I was completely out of golf. I still went to the gym and worked out but only because it’s more of a mental matter. Then little by little I started to play some games with my friends and finally to practice. But the first month was not very intense. Now I have a new driver and new woods. So far I’m really liking it. I like their appearance. The driver is matte black and I am a huge fan of matte colors. I always try to have a matte black car and it is something that I love. Also, as a Formula 1 fan, I really enjoy being able to see carbon fiber everywhere. What I like so far is that the numbers on Trackman are consistent. My revs are a bit more consistent with glitches. Obviously, the better mistakes can be, the better it will be for me. That is what I am looking forward to.
I have a swing checklist in my head that I can always come back to if I’m not hitting it right. I don’t need my instructor all the time because I know he is going to tell me one of those three things. So having that safety net is very important. Golf is not a contest of strokes, it is about making the fewest shots possible. No matter how it goes, it’s just about competing and getting the lowest round possible.
I feel great, I am happy, and my mind and body are rested. I am ready to go for the year.
* Jon Rahm wrote this special blog for the PGA Tour before the Sentry Tournament of Champions
