FORT WORTH, Texas — Jon Rahm is passionate, and he’s never hidden it. While that trait hasn’t always served him well on the golf course, he’s certain it will when it comes to talking with fellow PGA Tour players about protests that have taken place since the death of George Floyd.
Rahm, who hails from Barrika, Spain, has been in the United States for years, through a stellar collegiate career at Arizona State. He now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife.
As the aftermath of Floyd’s death lingers on, Rahm gets it. Not because of the initial reaction he gets when people see him, but rather the one he gets after opening his mouth.
“As a Hispanic immigrant in the U.S., even though I’m not even close to experiencing what some people have experienced in this world, even myself just speaking Spanish with one of my teammates or with people in some public areas, I’ve gotten dirty looks. I’ve never been racially profiled for the color of my skin but I have had some experiences and it’s not a good feeling,” Rahm said Tuesday from Colonial Country Club. “Why anybody would treat somebody differently to the way you look or they sound or what you believe in, I mean we’re all the same. We’re all human beings and we should all be treated the same way to me. It’s as simple as that.”
Rahm who has 10 professional wins to his credit — including three PGA Tour victories — has long insisted he’s looked to others like Kobe Bryant for inspiration. He said he’s used downtime during the coronavirus pandemic to explore writing, which he says has helped him stay more balanced.
So while he’s working on his temperament, the intensity comes through when he starts discussing the protests, and pent-up emotions that have led to the string of events.
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“When this whole thing broke out, I’ve tried to reach out to understand more profoundly what’s going on,” Rahm said. “Because if I’ve somehow experienced a little bit of what a little bit of reasons racism can be like, I can’t imagine what some people have experienced throughout their whole life.
“As an athlete, let’s say in a mainly white sport with somewhat of a platform on social media, I believed it was my duty to — at least not my duty but my belief — to support this cause and try to reach as many people as possible.”
The event in Fort Worth this week might lend itself to those conversations. At least not yet. Rahm and others were back on Tuesday, floating around Colonial Country Club and catching up after time away from work.
But if it arises, the Spaniard insists he’ll be ready to talk.
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“I understand you can’t make everybody aware of everything, but if I can just have one more person understand the situation and support it, to me it’s a win, right, so hopefully a lot of people got to know about it, and also being somebody who’s from Spain, by posting in English and Spanish, maybe some people in Spain understand the gravity of the situation and maybe they try to think of how they’ve treated people in the past,” Rahm said.
“It’s trying to raise awareness to everybody, and I mean, now it’s become the biggest civil rights movement in history. Not that I want to be a part of it, I just felt like I had to be a part of it and try to reach as many people as possible.”
If that means discussing the issue with players and friends, Rahm is comfortable with that. Although he’s not sure if the topic will surface.
“I have no idea. If somebody wants to ask me something or talk to me, I’m glad to talk and share my experience because that’s all I can do. I can’t speak for anybody else, I can only share my experience. If I see somebody worth talking to, I will,” Rahm said. “I’m always willing to learn and to comprehend what some people have gone through and the experiences, and I think that’s the best way we can maybe get information to then act on certain situations.
“Obviously, being in a tournament is going to be a little bit different, but again, if I have the opportunity to talk to somebody, if somebody wants to talk to me, I’ll be more than happy to.”
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