Jon Rahm is ‘built for the Ryder Cup,’ but is he ready to take his place among Spanish Ryder Cup legends?

HAVEN, Wisc. – Davis Love III still remembers when he knew Jon Rahm was born to take his rightful place among the great Spanish Ryder Cup players.

“We’re playing in Houston in April 2018, almost six months before the Ryder Cup at Le Golf National and I got paired with Jon on Saturday and he bombed it by me but I did all right, held my own,” recalled Love, the U.S. captain in 2012 and 2016 who is reprising his vice-captain role from 2018 again this year. “We walk off the green and he was very professional, took his hat off, I took off mine and he shook my hand and said, ‘I will see you in Paris.’ I’m not even playing! It was like he was poking a finger in my chest. That could rub some guys the wrong way but I thought it was awesome. He’s built for the Ryder Cup. He loves that stage. He’s the present and future of leadership for his team. They’re going to rally behind him just like they have Rory.”

Rahm made his debut in the biennial competition later that year and played in three matches, going 1-2 as a rookie with a singles match victory over his childhood idol, Tiger Woods. Three years later, Rahm, 26, is the reigning U.S. Open winner, World No. 1 and expected to carry a larger role in Team Europe’s quest to retain the Cup on foreign soil. When asked during his press conference if he was ready to step up as a leader, he chuckled and said, “What kind of a player would I be if I say no? Right. So yes, yes, I’m ready for that. It’s a challenge I look forward to.”

Later, he added some additional context: “When you’re born in Spain, the Ryder Cup is something special. There’s a lot of legacy in this event between Seve and Ollie and the players got the most amount of Ryder Cup points for Team Europe in history. It’s a lot to live up to, I’m not going to lie. It’s a lot of expectation when you’re a Spaniard.”

Those expectations proved to be a lot to live up to in France in 2018. Rahm lost his first two matches and sat out Saturday’s afternoon session. Graeme McDowell served as a European vice captain then as he is now and one of the players he was assigned to was Rahm. It was his job to make sure Rahm was in the right place mentally for Sunday, noting, “By Saturday lunch time, Jon was not a happy boy, and 24 hours later he’s beating Tiger in singles and everything is forgotten. That’s the Ryder Cup. For Rahm to beat Tiger on that stage, that day, was a big turning point for him emotionally.”

Team Europe player Jon Rahm (left) hits his tee shot in front of player Rory McIlroy (right) on the fifth hole during a practice round for the 43rd Ryder Cup golf competition at Whistling Straits. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)

Of that victory over Tiger, Rahm later explained how he approached the match and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the well this week with the same philosophy.

“I went to the first tee just picturing that I had a match against myself,” he said. “It was the first time I was playing Tiger, one of my idols looking up to him, so it was too easy for me to get caught up in looking at everything he was doing; as easy as it is to get caught up on seeing how well Rory hits it and what he’s been doing, right? So just focus on myself, keep focusing on me and my emotions and what I’m feeling and what I have to do at each moment.”

Since that time, Rahm has taken his game to another level and he will be counted on to carry a heavier load. Asked how he plans to evolve into this bigger role, he said, “We have plenty of players in the team that are vocal enough that have done this enough that naturally will gravitate towards for guidance. I’m not going to actively go and just make myself, hey, I’m a leader now, because I don’t have that massive of an ego. I’ll let the clubs and the ball do the talking and I’ll leave the speeches and the leadership to the guys that have been doing this for a long time.”

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Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter represent that old guard that have been there, done that as Europe has dominated the competition to the tune of nine wins in the last 12 matches. But to continue their winning ways, Rahm will have to produce like the World No. 1 player he’s become.

“It feels like he’s grown up a lot (since the last Ryder Cup),” McDowell said. “He’s very self aware. He’s got that Spanish in him where he wears his heart on his sleeves. He could seem angry and a little petulant sometimes. He’s worked hard on himself. He’s created a lot of stability in his life getting married and having a baby. He’s done a huge amount of work on himself.”

While McDowell points to the 2018 victory over Tiger as a seminal moment in Rahm’s progression to world No. 1, fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia takes a slightly different tack.

“I think he was headed that way anyway. He’s just a great player. He’s got all the shots,” Garcia said. “As a Spaniard, it’s nice to see how he’s evolved and how obviously he’s grown up and the way that his game has gotten better and better.”

As Davis Love III discovered the hard way, Rahm was born for this, the heir, along with Rory McIlroy, who will lead Team Europe for many years to come. That role starts now in just his second Cup appearance.

“He’s gone from being a rookie to being ‘The Man’ in the team room,” McDowell said, “and the best man we have.”

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