Ryder Cup star shocked by ‘humbling’ and ‘intimidating’ team hierarchy
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From nervous rookie to locker room authority, Jon Rahm opens up on the humbling and intimidating hierarchy of the Ryder Cup.
It’s hard to imagine Jon Rahm being intimidated. He’s built like a wrestler, has a temper like Gordon Ramsay tasting a microwave soufflé, and he’s well established as one of the best golfers in the world.
But, in his Ryder Cup press conference at Bethpage Black, the Spaniard admitted he felt like the new kid at big school when he made his debut at Le Golf National in 2018.
“There’s definitely a hierarchy, because I had only been a pro for just over two years at that point,” he said. “I was high in the World Rankings, yes, and I had been playing great golf – but the second I got in that locker room, it was very, very, very apparent to me that I was way lower down when it came to the Ryder Cup just because of how comfortable some players were and how different the dynamic of the week is.
“Did I belong? Yes. But the presence, the aura, of some players… The second you walked in the locker room in Paris, Sergio and Poulter were very big. Just the heaviness of their presence was apparent right away. Same with Rory, same with many others.
“As a very young rookie, the intimidation did happen right away. It was very different to what I expected, which was in a weird sense very, very humbling going into future Ryder Cups.”
Seven years later, with three Ryder Cups under his belt, Rahm is now one of those “big presence” figures in Team Europe’s dressing room – at least according to fellow European team member Shane Lowry.
“Rory and Rahmbo are probably the two people that a lot of people would stand there and look towards for leadership, and I think they both do a great job at that,” said Lowry. “I feel like a lot of guys look up to Rory and Rahmbo, in the team room, and they lead from the front. They did in Rome and I think they will do it this week, as well.”
Rahm may have once been the rookie humbled by the aura of others, but now he’s the one commanding the room. Where he once felt the weight of legends, he now is that weight – someone teammates look to and opponents fear.
Speaking of “weight”, Rahm wasn’t fazed at a jibe from the crowd during a practice round.
“First shot in the practice rounds, yeah. I don’t know exactly what he said. Something like, ‘Hey, Rahm, where’s the Ozempic?’ or ‘When’s Ozempic?’ I’m not sure, but it was funny.”
“Even with the weight of the Ryder Cup on his shoulders and the pressure of leading his team, Rahm can still smile at the crowd – a level of self-belief that he may need this week in the face of a rowdy New York crowd.
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From nervous rookie to locker room authority, Jon Rahm opens up on the humbling and intimidating hierarchy of the Ryder Cup.
