Weary Jon Rahm back to day job after Masters triumph
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Jon Rahm is grappling with the lingering after-effects of a mentally and physically draining Masters win.
PHOTO: AFP
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MIAMI – Jon Rahm admitted he is shaking off fatigue following his Masters victory as he prepares for the RBC Heritage in South Carolina on Thursday.
Rahm won the second Major of his career after a weather-disrupted Masters that meant he was forced to play 30 holes on a marathon closing Sunday on his way to clinching the famous green jacket.
The weary Spaniard said on Wednesday he had considered skipping this week’s tournament at Hilton Head Island, but wanted to honour an earlier pledge to play in the event.
“It did cross my mind, but I made a commitment earlier in the year, and I want to honour that commitment,” Rahm said, when asked if he had thought about withdrawing.
“I put myself in the shoes of not only the spectators, but the kids as well. If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play, good or bad.”
Rahm acknowledged, however, that he may struggle to hit the ground running as he grapples with the lingering aftereffects of a mentally and physically draining Masters win.
The adrenaline of Sunday’s victory led to a poor night’s sleep, but Rahm said he hopes to be firing on all cylinders by the weekend.
Meanwhile, he is already thinking about what he plans to put on his menu for 2024’s Champions Dinner, one of the highlights of Masters week, that is hosted by the defending champion.
“This is the part of the week that I’ve given the most amount of thought already. Chef Jose Andres is a really good friend of mine, so I’ll be working with him,” Rahm said.
“I also want to talk to Ollie (former Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal), because we’re from the same part of Spain, to see what he did in his dinner, see if I can go a different route.
“I have one of the appetisers down, which would be jambon, Spanish ham, the dessert, which I won’t be disclosing, and the wine. Everything in between is still up in the air.”
The RBC Heritage is one of the PGA Tour’s designated events, with a star-studded field vying for a US$20 million (S$26.5 million) purse. Forty-one of the world’s top 50 players are in the field, although Rory McIlroy has withdrawn after missing the cut at Augusta.
The PGA Tour unveiled a revamped autumn schedule on Wednesday. It will comprise seven tournaments worth a total of US$56.6 million in prize money.
The schedule, first outlined in 2022 as the PGA Tour scrambled to respond to the rise of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit, is officially billed as FedExCup Fall and gets under way in September at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California.
After a break for the Ryder Cup in Italy, the schedule resumes with the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi and includes events in Japan, Mexico and Bermuda. The timetable concludes at the RSM Classic in Georgia in mid-November. AFP
