JON RAHM ON DEFENDING HIS MASTERS CROWN INTERVIEW – Golf News

Q. That is your first time enjoying at Doral. What are you hoping to get out of this week in preparation for Augusta?

Nicely, I haven’t seen the course, but. Not a lot I can say in that regard. I’ve seen this event right here many occasions on TV, and I understand how a lot of a problem it may be. I feel having a high-quality golf course, a high-quality difficult golf course earlier than a serious is usually a great point to get your self prepared and perhaps work on a few of the pictures that you could be want the week after like they had been mentioning.

Simply merely having to execute these pictures in competitors setting earlier than you go to a serious could be actually useful.

Q. So we’ve 13 LIV gamers which can be enjoying subsequent week, final yr, first, second, third, and fourth place had been Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, all LIV Golf gamers this yr. What do you guys suppose the chances a LIV participant successful this yr?

That may be a very onerous query to reply. However , there may be fairly a couple of main champions in LIV, and there’s a few which can be Main Champion high quality golfers. So simply pure numbers, if you happen to go together with math, wouldn’t be the very best, however I’m assured that one in every of us can get it accomplished this yr.

Final yr it was such an odd couple of days for you guys, at one level, you had been 5 behind Brooks, and coming again and having to play so many further holes on Sunday. Simply what do you recall from that? What’s your greatest takeaway from that victory?

I feel probably the most you’re referring to, I feel it was on 7 once they known as it. I’ll was 4 again. 5 minutes into the subsequent day, I used to be two again. It’s very onerous to say as a result of with the cease web page and all of the climate, it was a really totally different Sunday. It was very a lot about coping with the weather and going about your personal enterprise. You had to consider it’s the tip of the third spherical and give attention to ending sturdy after which enjoying properly the remainder of the 18 holes, proper.

So in my thoughts, I needed to actually separate these two days, put your self in place, after which Sunday spherical, within the afternoon, attempt to get it accomplished.

My greatest takeaway, it’s onerous. I hold going again to a few of the up-and-downs that I made. I imply, Phil was mentioning it. It’s a golf course that the place you’re allowed to overlook — I do know he’s explaining it approach too simply, in the proper spots. However if you happen to’re in sure spots you may get these up-and-downs.

There’s two moments: The up-and-down on 6 to get the lead for the primary time, and the second shot on 14 from the timber, which like he defined, you’ve room. You continue to need to execute, and there’s bother lurking in every single place. However hitting that shot to 4 toes and hitting that birdie putt to take the four-shot lead with two to play had been the 2 keys to the event in my thoughts.

Q. Rory yesterday stated he doesn’t consider golf in its present state is sustainable. Do you agree with him, and do you suppose that the circuits must be reunited?

I feel I agree with that assertion, yeah. Each time I get requested a query like this, I say the identical factor. I feel there’s room for each. It’s so simple as that. I feel we’ve the chance to finish up with an excellent higher product for the spectators and the followers of the sport, a bit of bit extra selection doesn’t actually damage anyone. So I feel — I feel correctly accomplished, we are able to find yourself with a a lot better product that may take golf to the subsequent degree worldwide, and I’m hoping that’s what finally ends up occurring.

Q. I feel that is the primary time since 2017 that you just’ve performed the week earlier than Augusta. Have you ever modified any of your strategy this week?

Is that true, ’17? The method has been the identical. On the finish of the day, it’s the way you reap the benefits of the scenario and the way you put together main into this week. I really was glad to have a event this week as a result of going into Augusta defending is basically the primary main championship I’m relying on the venue. Being at house this week may have been a bit of tougher attempting to regulate these ideas. However having competitors, you simply, , you’re right here to do your job and it’s nice practise in direction of subsequent week. I feel in any approach, it’s going to assist

Q. While you did your convention name for the Masters a pair weeks in the past, you clearly had put a whole lot of thought into the menu. You wore a tie, which usually individuals don’t do this for the media. However clearly you cared lots and I’m wondering if you happen to can simply communicate to that and the way a lot it has meant to you to be the Masters Champion, how a lot you replicate on it, and if it’s form of weighing on you or if you happen to’re eager about it lots going into subsequent week?

I put — I wouldn’t say a whole lot of thought as a result of I feel for a very long time I knew the thought of what menu I used to be going to serve if I had been to win. I needed to showcase a bit of of the place I come from and to be honest, Chef José Andres was a whole lot of assist however like a superb head chef, he took over instantly. So , he did a whole lot of that.

However the principle factor why it was so emotional was that precisely. Like one in every of my grandma’s dishes was going to be served on the Champions Dinner and it’s just a bit little bit of me and the place I come from, which has similarities to perhaps José — Ollie and Seve, perhaps not Seve, although we grew up shut to one another, there’s sure variations.

It’s simply an honor to have the ability to do this, proper. It’s a practice in contrast to some other like many issues that week. To be a part of that choose group of those that received that event and put on that inexperienced jacket with delight and be in command of the menu is kind of unbelievable. Positively one of many highlights of the week however for some purpose undoubtedly one thing I’m nervous about. I don’t know why. Nevertheless it does appear a bit of daunting having to face up in entrance of that group and provides a speech although I do know each single one in every of them has been in my place, a few of them greater than as soon as. I don’t know, simply appears — you’re going to be in that room with the legends of the sport, nonetheless lively and nonactive, and that’s one thing actually cool to have the ability to say and be capable to share.

Q. Have any of you guys been to Augusta this spring and if that’s the case, are you able to simply speak about what it was like, any modifications, something, or was it only a enjoyable spherical or was it extra to attempt to study one thing?

I’ve been there, yeah. I needed to return not less than as soon as earlier than Masters week. I didn’t need the primary time again at Augusta Nationwide to be event week, proper. I needed to get a whole lot of these feelings out of the best way, and likewise see the golf course, see if they’ve accomplished any modifications. You understand, fairly shortly when the rating man got here out, I obtained 1,000,000 texts saying that it was 35 yards longer. Nicely, we’re going to see what they added and what they modified.

It’s a little bit of each, proper. I’m attempting to see the golf course and study a couple of new issues and study what they’ve modified and simply attempting to have enjoyable. I used to be capable of — a member who hosted me, I used to be capable of carry one in every of my finest pal and share that have with them. It was a little bit of each. In my thoughts, it was attending to expertise these feelings of being again, going to the Champions Locker Room and seeing my identify up there, and so on.

In comparison with a yr in the past, how do you come into this? Do you’re feeling brisker? Do you’re feeling sharper? Do you’re feeling in any approach totally different, and do you’re feeling totally different? Lots has occurred to you over this yr. Do you’re feeling a distinct individual in some methods as properly?

No, I don’t really feel totally different as an individual in any respect. I don’t suppose I ought to, proper. It’s a bit of totally different. I received lots early on final yr after which I went on a little bit of a month or so the place I didn’t play my finest. Went to Bay Hill, performed poorly. Went into Match Play, performed poorly. I really feel totally different in that sense.

At the moment I knew I used to be able to enjoying actually good, proper. Clearly I had accomplished all of it yr however that month was a little bit of a droop, which in a bizarre approach helped going into that Masters. I used to be an amazing favoUrite, however Scottie was nonetheless extra of a favorite than I used to be.

This yr I really feel like I’ve been enjoying actually good golf however not over that hump of successful but. I’m assured now, and I’m equally assured on my sport just about any given day of the yr. I feel that’s how any competitor must be. However that is that distinction of how I’ve been enjoying the previous few months. I’m snug. A little bit brisker, if something, going into these subsequent few weeks, so wanting ahead to it.