TROON, Scotland: Jon Rahm felt like one of the most popular players when he arrived at Royal Troon, even if it had nothing to do with him or his golf.
Spain is currently on a roll. Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon on Sunday, his second Grand Slam title of the year, just before Spain beat England in the final of the European Championships. The latter brought cheers from the Scottish fans for the Spaniard.
Nobody here likes to see England win anything.
“I played all 18 holes and I think I got more congratulations for something I didn't do than I ever have in my life,” Rahm said on Tuesday. “I don't know what they did, but every time someone plays against the English national team, all the other countries in Europe gang up on them.”
“I think because we've heard 'It's Coming Home' so much over the last few years, no one wants it to come home now.”
Add to that Sergio Garcia winning his first LIV golf event at Valderrama and Rahm would love nothing more than to continue Spain's winning streak.
Above all, he needs it for himself.
The major championship season ends with the British Open, and Rahm was a no-show. He was the reigning Masters champion when he joined LIV Golf last December, and he still hasn't won. His last victory was the Masters about 15 months ago.
He barely made the cut at the Masters. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship. And because of a foot infection he couldn't even play in the US Open.
“Last year, I didn't really play my best starting with the Masters,” Rahm said. “The Ryder Cup was maybe the only similarity to the beginning of the year. But in Nashville and last week (LIV events), I felt closer to getting to a higher level of golf where maybe I'm not worrying so much about my process. Maybe I'm playing a little bit more freely and seeing the ball flight that I want to see more often.”
“I'm getting much closer to what it might have been at the beginning of last year.”
The foot infection just before the US Open capped off a frustrating year. Rahm hoped to play against Pinehurst No. 2 until he saw a specialist who numbed his foot and put a swab in the infection to clean it.
“When I saw that, I thought, 'OK, I'm not playing the Open,'” Rahm said. “Once I came to terms with the fact that I couldn't play, it was pretty entertaining. I think I enjoyed it as much as anything, watching some of the best players in the world struggle.”
He knows how difficult it is these days, especially in the majors.
Rahm hopes he has solved some issues with his driver by purchasing a new shaft, which he feels allows him to swing a little more freely. At the PGA Championship at Valhalla, he realized he needed a change.
The foot injury was a setback, but he was able to compete in his next LIV event, finishing 10th last week in Valderrama. He has finished in the top 10 in every LIV event he has competed in, except for Houston, when he withdrew due to the foot injury.
On the other hand, LIV has the same 54 players every week and only the top half would be considered the game's elite. A year without a win can be frustrating, not to mention the last 15 months.
Now we move on to Royal Troon, a course that is normally easy to play on the way there, but turns into a real challenge – and a headwind – on the way back.
Rahm had planned to play just nine holes on Monday, but the weather was likely to be as glorious as it had been all week and he wanted to enjoy it. Wind or calm, rain or shine, he wanted to avoid the pot bunkers and gorse bushes that are key at this British Open.
And after this week, golf becomes a little unclear. He still has a LIV schedule to work through, but Rahm said his wife's pregnancy with their third child is not going well and she needs to be on bed rest. He doesn't know if he'll be able to play in the Spanish Open this fall.
And it won't be until next April that Rahm will get the chance to compete against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. The best players now only meet four times a year at the majors.
“That's the decision I made,” he said of joining LIV. “Hopefully golf will find its way at some point and we'll have the opportunity to play against each other more often.”
