The 'Rahm clan', to conquer the US Open

There are youth academies from other sports that don't get as much talent, and even less, foreign. But Arizona State University has set its sights on one country, Spain, to help golf grow both inside and outside its walls.

Obviously, Jon Rahm is the great representative of national golf as well as the sports training program at Arizona State University.. However, the educational center of the American Southwest has managed to bring out many other talents. Two of them, David Puig and Alejandro del Rey share the tee at the US Open, the third major tournament after the Augusta Masters, which Rahm won, and the PGA Championship.

“They transmit to us that faith they have in the Spanish,” Del Rey explains to EL MUNDO about the benefits of the university center and highlights, on the other hand, the facilities and the coaching teams, strong points that are also reviewed by David Puig. Apart from Rahm, Puig and Del Rey, Alejandro Cañizares, Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Muñoz, Noemí Jiménez and José Luis Ballester have also passed through Arizona State, among other outstanding golfers.

The first three along with Sergio García and Pablo Larrazábal will be the quintet that represents Spain in the tournament held at The Los Angeles Country Club. The five equal the largest Spanish representation at the US Open. Rahm, the number 2 in the world, is the one with the most chances (he already won it in 2021), but Del Rey and Puig, debutants in a big team, are confident that they will play a good role.

“If I am capable of performing at my level and hitting and hitting the shots that I know I am capable of, I think I have options,” says David Puig, the last of the Spaniards to qualify for the American tournament.. “Many of the young players who are standing out on the PGA Tour have been competitors in college, I don't feel that I have anything to envy them in terms of play,” says Alex del Rey.

Del Rey, by the way, made history a couple of years ago when he did one of the best laps in history at the Swiss Challenge. The man from Madrid completed the 18 holes in 58 shots, which is equivalent to 14 shots below par. A movie feat like the one played by golf teacher Michael Block in the last major, the PGA Championship, in which he finished in the top 15 and which earned him an invitation to the tournament the following year.. “A top-15 in a Grande makes one be able to believe more in oneself, so let's see if we can do something similar or even better,” Puig points out to EL MUNDO.

Favorite Majors

The 21-year-old Catalan golfer entered on the horn after finishing second in the last qualifying round for the tournament. “This was the third time I tried so I'm happy that it was the US Open,” he reveals, although Puig, among all the greats, would perhaps highlight the Augusta Masters as the tournament that would make him most excited to play.

For Del Rey, also debuting in a major, if he had to choose a great one he would choose The Open, or the British Open, and to be more specific, “the Old Course the Saint Andrews, without a doubt, the pure golf that is breathes in that town cannot be compared to anything in the world”, he reveals.

Early in the game of stick and ball, Puig started at 6 years old and Del Rey at 5, both have high expectations for the sport they practice. “I don't want to settle, I want to win everything,” Puig longs for. Even those of doing something similar to what Jon Rahm is already doing. “If I get to Jon's level it will be great news and, honestly, we are all working to try to be number 1 in the world,” says Del Rey.

The man from Madrid shared a match with Luke List and Wilco Nienaber while the Catalan did with Olie BrownJr and Karl Vilips. Neither, for the moment, has fulfilled his dream of playing with Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, respectively. Barrika's is a mirror to look at. The two rookies believe that “it could be the best in history”. Undoubtedly, Arizona State can be very happy with the talent of its golfers and, especially, the Spanish ones.