Jon Rahm, all smiles yesterday while practicing on the Southern Hills pits in Tulsa, Oklahoma. /
The Mail with Jon Rahm
After his last victory Jon Rahm arrives at the PGA in top form, the second ‘Major’ of the course; the field is difficult but he likes it
The recent victory in Mexico has had a double therapeutic effect for Jon Rahm. For the victory itself, a relief after months in which his good golf had not translated into results after reaching the US Open and, above all, for having “recovered the essence” of his game, which makes him different from the rest. A spirit in which, of course, technique intervenes, fundamental in a discipline in which the slightest mistake can change everything in the blink of an eye, but which in his case is closer to an idea, to sensations, to visualizing the blow in head and execute it as if it were something natural, without thinking too much about it. Enjoy, at the end of the day.
The number two in the world approached that mental, sporting and playful joy in the last round of the Augusta Masters, which he shared with a reborn Tiger Woods a year after the traffic accident that left him with serious consequences on his legs. Released from the pressure because by then the classification was the least of it, the Biscayan let go, enjoyed himself and signed an excellent minus three. That change of attitude and what was learned on the route with the Californian god, a mirror in which the youngsters who dominate the circuit -all under 30 years old- look at themselves today, had its first effects in the Mexican Open and should also have them from tomorrow in the PGA Championship, the second Major of the course that takes place in Southern Hills, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The posibilities
The golf deployed in the Mexican Open must have continuity in Tulsa to qualify for victory
Protected by the light hills that preside over an immense landscape, hard to the extreme and steeped in history, a tremendously demanding field emerges between plains as if from nowhere, which, as Barrika’s own professional recognized, will make the gloss of the cards extremely expensive. . “It’s long, difficult, and if you go into the rough things get very complicated,” Rahm conceded yesterday in a conversation with the Spanish media featured in this state bordering the American Midwest in which the avatars of the Indians are still counted natives and settlers.
In any case, he likes the course because it rewards good tee shots with wide fairways in which the ball usually runs decisively until leaving it near the greens. But he warns of an element that can condition the tournament and also the way to face it: the wind. He can be a great ally if he blows in favor and become a devilish enemy if he blows against or gusts. Yesterday the presence of the air was not even noticeable when the Biscayan golfer began to speak with the journalists and got up in a seen and not seen and with a certain force when the dialogue came to an end. He seemed relaxed and happy at Barrika’s, who was already in this field last week to speed up acclimatization and try to unravel its mysteries.
Handicap
The Biscayan warns that the wind can be decisive in the outcome of the tournament
Tiger’s Options
The presence of Tiger is another incentive in this ‘Major’ that also serves as a transition between Augusta and the US Open. As he did on the eve of the Georgia event, the Cypress player has also been tested in Tulsa to test his physical strength. The last round at the Masters was very long and he will have to dose himself to compete with guarantees in Southern Hills. Rahm was asked if he considered him a candidate for victory. He replied that for talent, character and ambition you should never rule him out. Although he added that Woods is going to face a “difficult to walk” field that forces him to squeeze a lot on the physical plane. “But Tiger is Tiger,” he stressed.
According to Barrika’s, the course of this PGA Championship requires maintaining a notable medium-high in all facets of the game: drive, irons, approach, putt… And if one of them fails, to be outstanding in the others. Rahm revealed that scientific advances have allowed him to design shoes that appear to be like the others but that inside are adapted to level both feet and thus facilitate movement with the sticks. The Biscayan has a slightly thinner and shorter right leg than the left and has worked on adapting the shoe so that it adapts to the uniqueness of his swing.
Four Spaniards on the tee of Southern Hills
Jon Rahm, number two in the world, heads the Spanish ‘delegation’ in the second Grand of the season that takes place in Tulsa. In addition to the Biscayan, Sergio García, Adri Arnaus and Pablo Larrazábal also participate in Southern Hills. The man from Castellón is a fixture in the ‘Majors’ and it will be necessary to check the performance of the two Catalans in this PGA. Arnaus arrives with a good business card after his triumph in the Open in his homeland after a six-hole playoff against Oliver Bekker. Larrazábal, for his part, has two victories this season on the European circuit, achieved in South Africa and Tarragona.
