At the presentation of the 2022 ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid, Jon Rahm was in a relaxed mood. The world number 6 sounded eager for the tournament to get underway and to once again enjoy the special connection he enjoys with the Spanish fans, particularly at this event.
After sharing a joke or two with the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, with whom the Basque will be playing in the pro-am on Wednesday, Rahm fielded the majority of questions in a press conference that also included Rafa Cabrera and Tommy Fleetwood.
The Barrika native made it clear that his form as he arrives in Madrid is completely different from that of last year, when he was neither physically, nor mentally prepared to produce his best golf at the end of a long season:
“What happened in 2021 was crazy, the US Open and, particularly, the five Ryder Cup matches really knocked me out, and I arrived at the tournaments in Spain really exhausted. This year, everything has been different, I’m arriving in a similar vein to 2019, and with a lot of confidence in my game after the last day at Wentworth”.
The numbers show that Rahm’s year has not been as good as you might expect from a player of his calibre. In fact, he has never played in an Open de España with a lower ranking (if 6th can be called low). But this does nothing to change Rahm’s motivation or desire to play well this week:
“Despite having had a ‘bad’ year, I think I’ve played much better than my results would suggest, but I don’t remember a season in which I’ve had so many lip outs and so many good shots in my life. In fact, my last tournament, the BMW PGA Championship, I had a great Sunday, when I played the same level as the rest of the year but with that little bit of luck, which you need and I hadn’t had until then. That’s why I’m excited to be here, also perhaps without the pressure of it being the third in a row. But being sixth in the world makes no difference from being first like last year”.
The opportunity to be the first player to win three consecutive Opens de España is no longer there for the Spaniard, but he still has a chance to match Seve Ballesteros as the only player in the modern era to put his name on the trophy three times.
“What Seve did has always been an inspiration for me and my professional career, and it’d be incredible to achieve that, even more so still being so young. But, apart from that, I think the most important thing was his legacy and what he did for golf in Spain, and if I’m able to contribute to its continuing growth, that makes me happy. I’m really glad to come to Spain and hear that the number of golf licences is going up all the time, and maybe I have something to do with that, so that genuinely makes me proud”.
On Monday, Rahm paid a visit to Club de Campo and enjoyed a taster of the course where, from Thursday, he will be plying his trade in search of another triumph for Spanish golf:
“I managed to play nine holes yesterday and the course is spectacular. The greens are still quite soft, but I’m sure that, during the week, they will get firmer and faster. It will be a great test, where you will have to play very well to win”.
