TROON, Scotland: Jon Rahm felt like one of the most popular players when he arrived at Royal Troon, even if it had nothing to do with him or his golf.
Spain is pretty much on the run at the moment. Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon for his second Grand Slam title of the year on Sunday, just before Spain defeated England in the European Championship final. The latter had Scottish fans celebrating the Spaniard.
Nobody around these parts likes to see England win anything.
“I played all 18 holes and I think I got more compliments on something I didn't do than I've ever done in my life,” Rahm said Tuesday. “I don't know what they did, but whenever someone plays against the England national team, every other country in Europe unites against them.
“I think it's because we've heard 'It's Coming Home' so many times over the last few years that nobody wants to see it come home right now.”
Throw in Sergio Garcia winning his first LIV Golf event at Valderrama and Rahm would love nothing more than to extend Spain's winning streak.
Mostly, he needs it for himself.
The major championship season ends with the British Open, and Rahm was a no-show. He was the reigning Masters champion when he went to LIV Golf last December and has yet to win. His last win was the Masters about 15 months ago.
He barely made the cut at the Masters. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship. And he didn't even get to play the US Open because of a foot infection.
“Last year, since the Masters, I haven't played my best,” Rahm said. “The Ryder Cup was the only similarity to maybe the first part of the year. But Nashville and last week (LIV events), I felt closer to getting to a higher level of golf where maybe there's not as much thought to my process. Maybe I'm playing a little more loose and seeing the flight of the ball that I want to see more often.
“I'm getting a lot closer to what it could have been at the beginning of last year.”
The foot infection just before the US Open summed up the frustrating year. Rahm hoped to play Pinehurst No. 2 until he sought out a specialist, who numbed his leg and inserted a swab into the infection to clean it out.
“When I saw that coming in I was like, 'OK, I'm not playing the Open,'” Rahm said. “Once I accepted the fact that I couldn't play, I think it was quite pleasant. I think as much as anyone, I enjoyed watching them take on some of the best players in the world.”
He can relate to a struggle these days, especially in the majors.
Rahm hopes he's fixed some issues with his driver by getting a new shaft, which he says has allowed him to swing a little more freely. At Valhalla for the PGA Championship he realized he needed a change.
The leg injury was a setback but he battled on in his next LIV event and then tied for 10th at Valderrama last week. He has top 10s in every LIV event he's played except Houston, when he pulled out due to a foot injury.
Then again, LIV has the same 54 players every week and only the top half would be considered among the elites in the game. Going the year without a win can be frustrating, let alone the last 15 months.
Now it's up to Royal Troon, a course that usually plays easy on the way out and turns into a beast – and the wind – on the return.
Rahm had only planned to play nine holes on Monday, but the weather was probably as glorious as it would be all week and he wanted to enjoy it. Wind or calm, rain or shine, avoid the pot bunkers and thickets that are the key to this British Open.
And after this week, the gulf gets a little murky. He still has an LIV calendar to finish, but Rahm said his wife's pregnancy with their third child is not going well and she is on bed rest. He doesn't know if he will be able to play the Spanish Open this fall.
And it won't be until April that Rahm gets the chance to compete against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. The best players now meet only four times a year in major competitions.
“It's the decision I made,” he said of joining the LIV. “Hopefully at some point golf can figure it out and we have opportunities to play against each other more often.”
