With only a week left for the biennial bash to commence, the countdown to the Ryder Cup has officially begun, and the fever is at an all-time high. Riding high on the surge, Team Europe ace Jon Rahm, sat down for an exclusive Q&A with Golfweek along with Matt Fitzpatrick and Captain Luke Donald, wherein he expressed pride and heartfelt honor of representing his team, no matter what the outcome of the tournament turns out to be!
In just over a week, twelve outstanding players from both Europe and the US will face off on the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome starting September 29th. Jon Rahm, with his list of stellar performances on the PGA Tour this year, including his first Masters win, was an automatic qualifier along with Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Tyrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre. With such an exceptional lineup of talent, will Team Europe be able to clinch back the cup this time?
Jon Rahm says winning and losing secondary, being on the team a dream for many
Rahm, who will be making his third Ryder Cup appearance in Rome this year, was questioned on the significance that the coveted tournament had on his career. The PGA Tour pro talked about the position that this competition holds in golf, and how special it was to get a chance to be a part of such a prestigious tournament, even if his team ended up losing the coveted trophy: “It is the biggest event that we have, by far…It is such a unique competition. Even if your team loses, it is extremely fun and special to have been a part of it.”
He also conveyed that the Ryder Cup brought together the best players in the world, and how it happened to be the only time that the players did not play for themselves, making it the biggest marketing tool for golf. “Both teams always fight to the very end because of how much it matters to all of us. It is such a unique competition. It is the closest that us golfers will ever feel to what other sportsmen and women experience when playing in sold-out stadiums.”
Rahm credits the Ryder Cup for being the reason behind his golfing career
In 1997, when the Ryder Cup was held in Spain, Jon Rahm happened to be a part of the tournament that year…not as a golfer, but as a spectator watching the game closely with his family. And following that tournament, Rahm’s whole family took up the sport, after being mesmerized by the experience.
When the Spaniard was questioned on how that shaped his career trajectory, he admitted that the tournament was the sole reason he became a golfer, “I actually spoke to my father recently about this and said: “What would have happened if the 1997 Ryder Cup did not take place in Spain?” That was the sole reason that my father started playing golf so I probably would not have been playing golf myself and do not know where I would be now.”
Rahm made his Ryder Cup debut in 2018, which also happened to be the last time that Team Europe won the cup. He currently holds the tournament record of 4-3-1. After finishing the 2022 season with a victory at the Acciona Open de Espana, the Spanish golfer made an automatic qualification this year with his impressive form with four wins, including a major. With a patriotic spirit and a stellar form to back his performance, will his dream of clinching back the trophy for his team come true? Only time will tell.
