Just in time for the 149th British Open this Thursday, one of the last big riddles in golf was solved: At his press conference, Jon Rahm explained for the first time why, unlike almost all other world-class players, he only stretches very briefly.
While his colleagues, especially with the driver at the end of the backswing, put the club back at or even above head height parallel to the finish line or even further back like the American Bryson DeChambeau, the 26-year-old Spaniard strikes back to shoulder height.
“I was born with a club foot. My right foot was twisted ninety degrees inward and pointing up and down. Pretty much every bone in my ankle was broken right after I was born. ”Not long after his birth, his leg was in a cast from knee to foot. “As a result, I have very limited mobility in my ankle. I learned at a young age that I can create power much more efficiently with a short swing, ”said the Basque, explaining his unusual back-up movement.
A look at the statistics of the PGA Tour shows that the man with the nickname “Rahmbo” does not lack power.
The “Total Driving” category, in which length and precision are combined, is led by the 1.88 meter tall and one hundred kilo powerhouse.
He can keep up with the "bombers" on the tour.
His longest drive of the year only came to rest after 397 yards (363 meters).
Number one only for a short time
When he goes full throttle, he can reach a ball speed of over 180 miles (290 kilometers) per hour. That is about ten miles less than DeChambeau's top values, but thanks to his "baby fade", a gentle left-right curve, his ball lands more frequently on the fairways, a gift that helped him a few weeks ago, DeChambeau as US -To dethrone the Open Champion and take the lead in the world rankings for the second time.
Cream had to give up the top position in the pecking order on Monday after three weeks. Although the American Dustin Johnson paused before "The Open Championship", as the tournament is officially called, he is again listed as number one. Rahm, on the other hand, like many other professionals who mostly play on the American PGA Tour, prepared for the last major of the year at the Scottish Open in the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.
Rahm was still in the lead at half time, but in the end had to be content with seventh place, two strokes behind, mainly because he sank too few putts in the hole at the weekend. Nevertheless, Rahm feels well prepared for the only one of the four cornerstones of the season, which was canceled last year due to the corona pandemic. Cream is a top favorite with all bookmakers, especially since he finally won the long overdue big title with his success at the US Open in San Diego.
“You feel a little relieved when you win your first major.
I've played good golf for the past five years and all I kept hearing was: major, major, major.
As if it were so easy to win, ”said Rahm, who wants to do what two legends did before him in Sandwich in Kent in the dunes of the English Channel.
He wants to be the first professional since Tiger Woods in 2000 to win the two oldest majors, the US and the British Open.
And like his great idol Severiano Ballesteros, he wants to be the second Spaniard to take home the “Claret Jug”, the red wine jug, and the prize money of 2.07 million dollars.
Four Germans are there
Rahm has a very special relationship with the Links Course, the dune course of the exclusive Royal St. Georges Golf Club. Here, as a 14-year-old boy, he experienced this very special, the most original form of golf for the first time in 2009. “I've loved links golf ever since. You have to play your own game and always learn from the course. It offers more variety and it is simply unique because the wind, weather and the place change every day. That's why the week in the UK is always something very special, "says Rahm, describing his love for British dune spots.
But something completely different makes the 149th edition of this tournament, which has been held since 1860, unusual. Once, because there are four Germans in the field, something that German golf fans have not experienced with a major for a long time. While Martin Kaymer only came as a replacement in the 156-player field, Marcel Schneider and Marcel Siem qualified through their victories on the Challenge Tour in the past two weeks, the second division of the European Tour. The amateur Matthias Schmid is allowed to play as European champion 2020 for the second time after 2019 (at that time he missed the cut) this year as well.
On the other hand, Bernhard Langer, who as the current British Senior Open Champion would also have been eligible to start, did not. Like many other players who do not belong to the extended circle of favorites, the strict regulations for the active players were probably too much for the now 63-year-old senior. The players are only allowed to take their closest circle (caddy, trainer and one family member) with them and live with them, not visit other players or restaurants and supermarkets - which seemed strange to many: 32,000 spectators are allowed in the tournament every day.