A few hectic days begin for Jon Rahm. The Spaniard, along with his family, landed in Madrid on Sunday night to participate in the Spanish Open, which will be held from Thursday to next Sunday at the Villa de Madrid Country Club.. The champion comes to the Spanish capital after spending a few days disconnecting and forgetting about the stress accumulated after his last conquest. “After finishing the Ryder Cup, we stayed in Italy on vacation, the first few days with friends and then just with the family,” he says before starting a marathon day.
Does the Ryder Cup take so much time? Yes, it takes up a lot of your time.. That week is mentally very hard.. I handled not playing on Friday afternoon badly, it's a stress and since I'm a nervous wreck…
Rahm's disconnection seemed obligatory because a very demanding week awaits him, not only because of the Spaniard's assault on his fourth title at the Acciona Open of Spain, but also because of the numerous publicity commitments that he will have to attend to.
Early on Monday he made his first contact with the Madrid route. “The course is very good, in very good condition,” commented the winner of the Augusta Masters before his arrival at an event organized by Mercedes at the Real Club de La Moraleja, with the usual autograph and photo sessions.
You don't come to the Spanish Open for money. Nor does he believe Ryder should have an economic motivation. On Tuesday in Rome they asked me if I would pay to play Ryder and I said yes. Since 1979 no one has been paid, I don't even know if travel expenses are covered. Seve, Chema and other great players from Europe created this tournament and it is our duty to maintain the level. They don't have to pay me, they pay us the expenses of going and returning and they treat us like gods, they don't have to pay me. Nor is it necessary. But there are people who make a lot of money with that event, wouldn't it be logical that the driving forces of the Ryder, who are the players, participated in that benefit? The PGA and European Tour make money doing this and we don't, but I say that I don't have to charge for playing the Ryder Cup, what they give us is enough: the team gifts, the souvenirs…
Mercedes Benz has made a generous commitment to golf, with the Mercedes Golf Trophy, one of the best amateur circuits in the world, whose winners could be seen yesterday alongside Jon, and also company ambassadors, such as Bernhard Langer.
What do you take away from everything you experienced during the entire week of the Ryder Cup? If I had to keep a moment it would not be one of mine, but one of Justin Rose. That moment when he made the putt on the 18th, on Friday afternoon, to tie the game, because he had a very special reaction: he turned around and started pointing at us all, saying 'for you, for you, for you '. I think it was very exciting…If my putt on 18 hadn't been so lucky, I would have chosen that moment, although luckily it went in.
Before Rahm begins his new commitment of the day, he was able to delve a little deeper into this year's European dominance and the possible friction in the American locker room: “This year we had pressure, they remind you that in Europe we had not lost in 30 years. I really don't know what happens in the American locker room, compared to ours because in theory we would have to lose every year.. On the American side there are players with a lot of personality who find it a little more difficult to play as a team. A couple of caddies this year have been part of both teams and they could explain it better, but there are differences, one of them, if you noticed, is that the American caddies and the players had different uniforms, our caddies and we had the same uniform. “There are small details that can make a difference.”
Rahm finished greeting the fans without having barely eaten and headed to the Niño Jesús University Hospital in Madrid, probably the most important event of the entire week.. The golfer inaugurated The Golf Garden, a recreational facility that aims to make the stay of children admitted to the hospital more enjoyable.. “This is yours, so you can enjoy it, so you can play however you want,” said an excited Rahm in front of about twenty children who couldn't take their eyes off him.
Some of the little ones hugged his legs and gave him drawings and a small teddy bear, which Rahmbo kept as the best treasure.. “These questions put you in perspective, to know what is truly important,” said the Spanish champion before saying goodbye to the public and journalists.