In his relatively short time in the professional ranks, Jon Rahm has achieved considerably more than many players do throughout their careers. He already has two U.S. PGA titles, he won a Rolex Series double on the European Tour last season, and he has risen to second in the world rankings. Last weekend he also secured his best result in a major, fourth in the Masters at Augusta, but one objective still remains near the top of his bucket list: win a first professional title on home soil.

Last October he narrowly missed the cut in his professional debut in Spain, in the Andalucía Valderrama Masters, and this week he attempts to rectify that slip-up by performing well in – and ideally winning – the Open de España at Centro Nacional de Golf.
The Barrika (Basque Country) native used the facilities at the same Madrid venue in his youth as he combined his studies and golf during an impressive amateur career during which he was crowned Spanish Golf Federation national champion at various age-group levels.
"I am blessed,” said the 23-year-old on the eve of the tournament, “to be able to say I am Spanish Golf Federation national champion for the ages of under 16, 18, 21, and all ages. I think it’s four or five different categories that I am champion of and some of them a couple of times. I took a lot of pride in winning those championships and it's not easy. 
"To be a part of it (the Open de España) and know all the Spanish legends have won it – I would love to add my name to it. To be able to link my pro and amateur career by getting this final stamp would be amazing. There is no better place than somewhere like this because I spent two years of my life practising on this range and golf course, so hopefully I can get it done this week. It would be a special moment because this is where I developed most of my golf skills as, when I was in Barrika, I could only go to the golf course a couple of times a week, but when I was here I was able to practise a lot more and meet some of my team-mates and become really good friends."

"The pride and joy I would get to be able to win something at such a special place like this with the eyes of the Spanish Golf Federation, in Spain with the eyes of my fans here, would be amazing, hopefully with a lot of family members coming out. I think out of the four wins I've had, my dad has been to two of them and my mum actually hasn’t been to any of them.

Also back in Spain this week to defend the title he won at Valderrama in 2016 is Andrew Johnston, the Englishman more commonly known as “Beef”, who tees up alongside Rahm and Rafa Cabrera Bello in the first round.

Meanwhile, Rahm was the centre of attention on Wednesday during a press conference where he addressed several issues…

 

The Course

“This is a course for long hitters. The par-fives are not short and the par-threes are long. I was expecting something much worse, and after all the rain the course is in good condition from tee to green. They have even managed to grow a few metres of rough, but the rough will not be a factor. The rough doesn’t need to be perfect; in the Open Championship, one of the main events in the world, the rough is left in the hands of God.

“The weather conditions will make the difference. Assuming we get four perfect days, the tournament will be a putting contest; with good conditions and no wind, the score should reach 20-under, but the forecast is not that good so it’s hard to guess a winning score.”

 

The Expectations

“The expectations of Spanish golf around me are no pressure, just motivation. Hopefully I can do a small percentage of what Seve did for Spanish golf. I play golf thanks to Seve and thanks to the 1997 Ryder Cup, and I would like to give back. I want to see more golf courses, more licenses and more Spanish champions. When I was a junior player I wanted to have a Spanish hero to follow. Sergio was just that, and now it is a big honour for me to be able to inspire other golfers. It makes me happy that people come to see me play and I only want to give them my best. Winning the Spanish Open is a big goal for me. Having been Spanish champion in all amateur categories, I would love to close the circle this week as a pro.”

 

The Majors

Winning a major is tough. I had three very good days at Augusta and one bad first round. It was difficult to recover from that three-over against players like Reed, Fowler and McIlroy. My goal was to give myself an opportunity on Sunday afternoon, and I am happy that I did that. I never set myself saying that I am going to win or not, I just go out to play my best and give myself an opportunity each time. I didn’t win my first tournament on the first try, so I guess that I will need more tries to win a major.

“Both Phil (Mickelson) and Ollie (José María Olazábal) gave me the best piece of advice about Augusta. They said that I need to find my own way to play that course. Phil, Tiger, Nicklaus each had their own way, Hogan had his own way and I had to find mine, knowing when I must be aggressive and making my own decisions.

“The Open Championship is not my focus, but my favourite. If I had to win any major I’d pick the Open Championship as a European and as a golf fan. But links golf courses are hard for me coming from the States, so I need to keep learning and keep looking at what other players do, process that information, and hopefully at some point in my career I can play good enough to give myself a chance at the Open.

 

Caddie Adam Hayes

As a professional, nobody has helped me more than Adam. He is very experienced and he knows what to say every time. Adam is great because he knows a lot about golf and a lot about me, and he is as motivated as I am.

 

The Ryder Cup

In the United States they keep saying that the Ryder Cup is already won by them; I don’t know why, but they keep saying that, so I think our goal is to prove them wrong. But first of all I need to make the team. I don’t want to play the Ryder Cup: I want to win that cup back for Europe and defend it next time in the States. I tried to get advice from Rory, and the only thing he told me is that being a rookie I will be paired for sure with someone experienced because it is such an unfamiliar territory. He also said that I will have a great time and make good friends for life, but the main thing everybody told me is to forget about the Ryder Cup right now and focus on playing well and having fun this year.”

 

Slow Play

The pace of play on the PGA Tour is a real problem. In my opinion serious measures should be taken. Firstly, I would establish shot penalties instead of money fines. The risk of losing a tournament by playing slowly would make a big difference. Some players are slow walkers, and others spend an incredible amount of time checking yardage books.