Legion 13 captain and local hero, Jon Rahm, returns to Valderrama to try to achieve his first victory in the LIV Golf.
-How does it feel to be back in Spain and competing in your homeland?
-Well, it feels great. It feels great. One of the most exciting things, one of the many things about joining LIV was coming here and playing in front of a Spanish audience, especially at a level of event and level of competition that I hadn’t really enjoyed yet.
I have been able to play in events in Spain but you didn’t have a world-class stage, I would say. Very fantastic, great players, but it wasn’t the same level of achievement that we have at LIV Golf.
So to come back and be a part of this is very emotional. It’s very exciting and if there was ever a place to get my first win, anything like this would be the perfect week, and it’s an iconic golf course. You have a lot of history and it would be great to enjoy the incredible list of champions from Spain who have performed well and become one of them.
-That’s a great transition. You’re right behind Joaquin Niemann in the points in the LIV standings, but you still haven’t been able to take home any trophies individually this year. Is this the week to do it?
-I hope so. I mean, if it’s the week to do it, the week we’re playing would be the best. But the fact that we’re in Spain, with the local audience, the local week, yeah, it makes it that much more meaningful.
-Do you have all your family and friends supporting you here this week?
-Yes, there are many relatives and friends. Spaniards can travel in groups, especially if it is in their home country, it is much easier. Yes, there will be a lot of people around.
-Can you tell us about your history in this field and mention the word iconic? Why, in your opinion, is this field so iconic? Is it history? Is it other things? Just take us through that Valderrama.
– Yes, it’s a story. I mean, you could say it’s all subjective, but it’s probably the best golf course we have in Spain. It’s something we all grew up wanting to play. Unfortunately, that wasn’t a possibility for me until I turned pro. I’m not from this part of the country and it’s a private club, so it makes sense. I wasn’t right and for the first time I didn’t make the cut.
But the legacy of the 1997 Ryder Cup, the fact that the European Tour championship, the Volvo Championship, has been held here for many years and the tradition of how hard it is to prove it is what makes it so unique, right? Very rarely do we see a tournament where if you make even par, you’re guaranteed 99.9 percent of a top-10 and in many years you’ll win, right? It’s very comforting to see something like that, and I think all those things combined make it what I would say an iconic golf course and an iconic week.
-What is the most challenging stroke here?
– It all depends on the wind. Here it blows quite a bit. It’s a big difference depending on the direction. I think when the wind is blowing on 12 or 15, to be able to catch those greens is, you know, with the 4-iron in your hand, it’s difficult. There’s more targets. You can’t execute. You just can’t hide and you have to hit a really good shot.
And the 12th is well known for playing left and right. I would say that probably making that shot on the green would be the hardest hole on the course.
-This year, so far, how would you rate your game from 1 to 10?
-It’s hard to say. There have been weeks where I feel like I scored much better than I felt, and there have been a couple of weeks where it could have been better. I haven’t won yet, so that would take away quite a bit of money.
I’d say maybe 6 to 7 out of 10 if I had to say. But the year is not over. There’s still a lot to play for. It wouldn’t be uncommon to see a player finish strong and change that to maybe a 9 out of 10. So far, just because I haven’t won, I can’t give it more than a 7.
-Is there anything about the format that is less competitive than before?
-No.
-So isn’t that what’s missing?
-No.
-What’s missing?
-It’s not easy to win golf tournaments. I’ve come close. I just haven’t made it.
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