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Jon Rahm looks to wrap up his big year, faces big test at PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y.: Jon Rahm watched video from the last PGA Championship at Oak Hill, considering the restoration work on the East Course, a rain-soaked week in 2013 and the fact that it was August. This doesn’t seem to be of much value.
Rahm found some details that could serve him or anyone, especially the discipline Jason Dufner showed when he had trouble off the tee and how he relied on the wedge game.
More than just a student of the game, the 28-year-old Spaniard is a golf fan, who recently described himself as “addicted to the game”.
“I’ve done pretty much every major,” Ram said Tuesday of his film studies. “I just love it. Even if it’s not a big season, I’m doing it at home. I see on social media that every Sunday you can find information about Augusta National and most of the majors. It’s not research. I just love it. It’s fun.”
So is the win, and Rahm is having the time of his life.
The Masters was his fourth win of the year, and he’s one of the leading favorites to win the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, which seems to fit his game — strong power, clean contact, excellent wedge shot. Ram is bold.
He’s not interested in majors. As the Masters champion, he is the only one with the chance to accomplish a feat that has not been achieved since the Masters began in 1934. He’s not interested in a career major — he’s already done half of the Masters and his U.S. Open title at Torrey Pines.
Rahm cares about all the majors, running as many points as possible.
“It’s not easy to win two majors, and the idea of ​​choosing which one to win is kind of ridiculous,” Rahm said. “While it doesn’t sound too conceited or arrogant, I’d rather focus on the number of majors you win than majors. Obviously it’s going to be amazing. But the more you put yourself in the position of being able to win majors position, the more likely you are to complete it.
“But there are very few players who can do it, and the last one is Tiger,” he said. “It’s obviously not an easy thing to do.”
No need to tell Jordan Spieth — especially this week — let alone Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson. They are one step away from becoming the first and sixth players to win all four majors since Tiger Woods (2000).
McIlroy lost another chance to play in the Masters because of the elimination. Mickelson has six silver medals at the U.S. Open, the only major he hasn’t won.
Spieth, who needed the Wanamaker trophy, finally arrived on the court Tuesday, his left wrist wrapped with a piece of kinesiology tape stretching to his elbow. The question is what to do with the rough, and there are many.
The concerns for Oak Hill in May are the weather and how quickly the grass grows. This is no longer a problem.
“You have to hit it far, and you have to hit it straight,” Tony Finau said. “This golf course is going to start off the tee. If you don’t hit enough fairways, you can’t play at this place. The rough is long enough that you can’t get the ball to the green.”
During his practice rounds, even when he did find short grass, Fernau found himself reaching for middle irons — usually par 5s, as long as he hit the ball.
“It’s all you can handle, but it’s what you want in a major,” he said.
Oak Hill is so pristine that members haven’t played on the course this year — golf season doesn’t start that early in Western New York anyway. But the conditions are paramount, with some players likening it to the U.S. Open. This makes sense, since Oak Hill has hosted the Open three times, most recently in 1989.
Asked what was the most testing part of Oak Hill this week, McIlroy replied: “Discipline.”
McIlroy didn’t have many answers, either related to LIV golf or how to best prepare for the majors. He felt his game was at its best when he went to Augusta National for just one short week.
Ram didn’t have too many bad experiences. One of the reasons he and Scottie Scheffler have parted ways in recent months is their consistently good performances. Scheffler, who won The Players Championship and the Phoenix Open, finished no lower than 12th this year.
“I’m confident. I feel good,” Rahm said. “It’s been an amazing year. I just hope to keep adding more content. It’s been a lot of fun and hopefully I can keep riding the wave.”
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