Jon Rahm Seeks to Consolidate at the Spanish Open After an Intense Ryder Cup
Spanish golfer Jon Rahm returns to action in his home tournament, the Spanish Open, after what he himself described as the most mentally challenging week of his career during the Ryder Cup in New York. Rahm is in Madrid with the aim of winning his fourth title at the Spanish Open, which would allow him to surpass the legend Seve Ballesteros as the most successful golfer in the history of the tournament since the creation of the European circuit in 1972. A few weeks ago, Rahm contributed to Europe’s victory in the Ryder Cup held in the United States, where the local public displayed behavior that, according to Rahm, was “inhospitable”.Rahm teamed up with Tyrrell Hatton at Bethpage Black, and both were some of the European players most pointed out by the New York public. Rahm stated that he heard everything from the American fans and that, “with the sale of alcohol [very early], at 9 in the morning things were already out of control.” “It could be compared to soccer, but then you have the noise of 50,000 people and you don’t really hear what each person says,” Rahm said. “In my case, with every step I took, I could hear everything.” Rahm highlighted that the result couldn’t have been better, as Europe secured the victory and retained the trophy won two years ago in Rome. “It’s going to be difficult to top that week, possibly at the 2031 Ryder Cup here in Spain, which will be more special for me than for anyone else,” he added. This will be Rahm’s seventh participation in Madrid, where he already won in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Last year, he finished in second place, after losing in a playoff against his compatriot Ángel Hidalgo. Ballesteros won the last of his 50 titles on the European circuit at the Spanish Open in 1995. This year, the Spanish Open will offer for the first time an automatic spot for next year’s Masters and the British Open to the winner. Rahm and Sergio García, winner of the Spanish Open in 2002, are among the LIV Golf players participating in the tournament. Also present this week will be Patrick Reed, Joaquín Niemann and Shane Lowry, who made the decisive putt for Europe in the Ryder Cup. Also, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary Arnold Palmer’s victory in the tournament in 1975.“That week in New York was mentally the toughest week of my career, but at the same time it was the most fun I’ve had,” Rahm declared on Tuesday. “What happened there during those three days was something inhospitable. Sometimes I couldn’t believe it.”
Jon Rahm
