Jon Rahm has some fond memories of playing in Mexico, and the inaugural Mexico Open is a chance to extend his good run on the 2022 PGA Tour season. Excerpts:
We would like to welcome Jon Rahm to the interview room here at the inaugural Mexico Open at Vidanta. Jon, you’re making your 11th start of the season, first since the Masters. Four top-10 finishes so far this season. Can we just get a recap of your season and comments on the state of your game?
Rahm: Yeah, it was a good start to the year, the first few events of the year. I would say I could say numbers-wise it hasn’t been my best, but, you know, I’ve been practicing hard, feeling confident. It’s just golf. Sometimes you’re feeling good if things happen. Actually, golf is life; sometimes you just don’t get the results you want. I keep putting in the work so very positive about the future. I’m happy with the state of my game is right now.
View this post on Instagram
You’re making your first start since the 2020 WGC Mexico Championship, some good memories there, a couple top-5 finishes, you had an ace on that
hole in 2020.
Rahm: Yes, I did.
Related: Cantlay, Schauffele notch landmarks with Zurich Classic win
Jon, so regarding this week and learning a new course (Vidanta), what’s your approach to kind of game planning for a new course, the things you look at, mapping out the holes, talking with your caddie, things of that nature?
View this post on Instagram
Rahm: There’s nothing special. I just — plan A is hit driver everywhere. If it doesn’t fit, we’ll figure it out. But again, preparation I think a lot of times is getting the touch around the greens a little bit better, get that feel because tee to green a lot of times it’s going to vary on how you feel, the wind, pin position and how you’re hitting it that gay. When I feel at my best, I’m pretty much comfortable hitting driver anywhere. That changes a lot. I remember one year I came into the press conference and said I’m only going to hit three drivers tomorrow, ended up hitting 12. So I can’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen, but I don’t usually have a game plan off the tee until I get to the tee, I see where the pin is, what conditions we have.
I saw your first start on the PGA Tour was as an amateur in Mexico in 2014. I was wondering what your memories are when you think back to that week?
Rahm: Yeah. Well, we were in Mayakoba, so similar feel. So we were in a resort, the other side of the country. I was there because of the Spanish link to it. The owner was a Spanish owner and Spanish sponsor and I was really honoured to be invited to play. I didn’t have my best showing, I ended up missing the cut by a little bit. Unfortunate that I got a penalty stroke on my ninth hole Friday, only time in my life where I made a practice swing
chipping and the ball moved and I think that cost me, ended up missing by one or two. Since then I came back and played good golf, but that start gave me so much info and so much to learn from the next time I played, which was the next February in Phoenix I ended up finishing fifth, right, so I took a lot from it.
View this post on Instagram
What advice would you give to the players in this field making their first start on the PGA TOUR? A lot of young Mexican guys are getting ready to make their Tour
debut.
Rahm: Advice? I always give the same and, you know, there’s no trick: You have to go out there and try to win. Don’t come trying to make the cut. If you’re playing, play to win. If not, don’t play. I think that is the mindset they should have. If they’re invited, they’re probably good enough to be out here, so just believe what you can do and try to win.
PGA Tour
