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It’s true that Jon Rahm lost the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking this past week – a spot he’d taken after winning the U.S. Open last month. Despite a seventh-place finish at the abrdn Scottish Open, Rahm slipped back below Dustin Johnson. But a ranking of world No. 2 versus No. 1 doesn’t mean a whole lot at the British Open, especially when you ride in on the kind of momentum that Rahm has.
The Spaniard is an easy favorite at Royal St. George’s this week in Sandwich, England.
Rahm last competed at this venue when it hosted the British Boys Championship in 2009. It was his introduction to links golf, and still holds fond memories.
“The course hasn’t changed,” he noted on Tuesday. “I’ve changed quite a bit. It’ll be a different experience.”
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Rahm is now a major champion, of course. He’s a new father, too. But true to his statement, one part of the equation hasn’t changed in over 10 years and that’s his swing.
“I have the swing I have, and I’ve gotten more mobile and stronger in some parts of my swing so that might slightly change it, but I have certain unique parts and certain unique, let’s say, physical limitations that let me swing the way I swing, and I don’t deviate from that,” he said.
“I’ve been able to slowly improve my game with what I have and learn how to hit different shots without having to change my swing keys, and I think that is one of the keys to why I’m consistent. I don’t change it. I play with what I have and try to improve from what I have.”
Rahm’s visit with the press ahead of the British Open took a rather interesting turn when he was asked to dive into those physical limitations. He often hears that his short swing is a result of tight hips but is tired of the inaccurate conclusion.
“If you know anything about golf, that is the stupidest thing to say,” Rahm said. “So for people that don’t know, I was born with a club foot on my right leg, which means for anybody that’s sensitive about that, my right leg up to the ankle was straight, my foot was 90 degrees turned inside and basically upside down.”
Rahm revealed that every bone his right leg from the ankle down was broken and casted within 20 minutes of his birth. He returned to the hospital weekly to be recasted from knee to foot which didn’t allow that part of his leg to grow at the same rate, resulting in limited ankle mobility in his right leg. It’s also a centimeter and a half shorter than his left leg, Rahm said.
“If I take a full to parallel, yeah, it might create more speed, but I have no stability. My ankle just can’t take it,” he said.
From a young age, and later with the help of longtime coach Dave Phillips, Rahm learned to generate power with a shorter swing.
Young players can learn a lot from Rahm, but the Spaniard thinks the biggest lesson may be in his swing – not to copy it, but to swing your swing.
“Do what you can do,” he said. “That’s the best thing for yourself.”
With each win Rahm collects – particularly in the majors – the megaphone for that message is amplified.
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