The final major of the year is nearly upon us as golf's best including Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and others will descend upon Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland for the 152nd Open Championship.
Two days prior to the start of the tournament, Tiger Woods discussed his decision to turn down captaincy of Team USA's Ryder Cup squad in 2025. He cited too many prior commitments as the primary reason. That prompted Keegan Bradley to be selected as captain for Bethpage Black next year.
Woods' choice came as a surprise to many in the golfing world, including Rahm, who detailed his thoughts later in the afternoon Tuesday.
“I think a lot of people had an initial thought of maybe unexpected just because I heard so many rumors of Tiger being it. I don't know why. Everything I heard from the Ryder Cup is, okay, Tiger's the captain,” Rahm said.
“I guess you shouldn't always believe what you hear, but I think my mind was made up. When I hear anybody but Tiger being it, I was like, oh.”
That is a common sentiment among players and fans alike.
In order to lighten the conversation though, the Spaniard offered another interesting take on Bradley's appointment to lead Team USA.
“He was definitely a bit of a Captain America figure when he was there, very energetic. Had a great partnership with Phil, played really good golf, especially at Medinah. I'm not surprised. I think he could be a good captain. Cares deeply about the country. Cares deeply about the Ryder Cup.
“I don't know if having a Boston native being a captain in New York might be the best thing,” said Rahm jokingly. “But I think they can put their difference aside for that week.”
Jon Rahm looks to regain top form at The Open
Jon Rahm, who was once atop the golfing world, has watched Scheffler take that mantle from him. Meanwhile, the two-time major champion left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, drawing the ire of many fans.
Since his move to LIV, Rahm has not yet won a tournament. That is not to say he has been playing poorly. Quite the contrary. Rahm has numerous strong finishes to his credit.
Nevertheless, he is aware that improvement is essential if he wants to hoist the Claret Jug Sunday evening.
“Last year from Masters on I didn't really play my best. I didn't feel at my best up until Ryder Cup. Ryder Cup was the only resemblance to maybe the early part of the year.
“This year the first half hasn't been my best, but I would say it started in Houston where I kind of started feeling that comfort with the swing again. And I'm talking about such a small margin. I still have been playing good golf all throughout that time,” Rahm said.
“But Nashville and last week, I felt closer to getting to a higher level of golf where maybe there isn't as many thoughts on my process. Maybe I'm playing a little bit more freely and seeing the ball flight that I want to see more often.
“Yeah, I'm getting much closer to what it might have been early last year.”
The 2021 U.S. Open champion has come close to winning The Open a couple of times. That includes tying for second last year and a T3 finish in 2021.
But with Scheffler riding his historic streak, Xander Schauffele playing as well as anyone, and Rory McIlroy consistently knocking on the door, it will take an exceptionally high level of play if Rahm wants to celebrate this week.
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