World primary Jon Rahm isn’t fearful about chasing a profession Grand Slam after successful the Masters, hoping his starvation to win majors may handle that purpose anyway.
The 28-year-old Spaniard involves chilly Oak Hill for the one hundred and fifth PGA Championship as the one European participant to ever win the inexperienced jacket and the US Open, which he captured in 2021 at Torrey Pines.
Rahm already owns 4 PGA titles this season and settled for second in defending his Mexico Open title final month in his most up-to-date begin.
“I’m confident. I feel good,” Rahm mentioned. “It has been a great year. It has been an amazing year. I’m just hoping to keep adding more to it. It has been a lot of fun and hopefully I can keep riding that wave.”
A victory at Oak Hill would go away Rahm midway to a calendar-year Grand Slam and needing solely a Claret Jug to finish the profession Slam.
It’s a feat solely Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen have achieved.
“If I were to win this week or the Open Championship it really becomes a true reality,” Rahm mentioned. “But winning two majors is not easy and picking which ones you win is a little ludicrous to think about.
“Winning the Grand Slam would absolutely be amazing, but, without sounding too conceited or arrogant, I’d rather focus on the number of majors you win than having the Grand Slam per se.
“The more you put yourself in the position to be able to win majors, the more likely you might be to get it done.”
In the previous 70 years, solely 5 gamers have received the primary two majors in a season, the latest to handle the feat being Jordan Spieth on the 2015 Masters and US Open. That’s additionally the final time any participant received back-to-back main titles.
Not since Brooks Koepka received the 2018 US Open and PGA has a participant received two majors in the identical 12 months.
“It doesn’t happen often that a player wins more than one major in a year, so it would be amazing to be able to join my name to that list,” Rahm mentioned. “It just doesn’t happen often. So yeah, I would love to.”
‘Between the ears’
Rahm has celebrated his Masters triumph, however is aware of it needs to be shortly put aside with a run of 4 majors in as many months.
“It’s a big deal when you get to win one. Try to enjoy it as much as possible,” Rahm mentioned.
“Once you finish, you kind of put your thoughts on pause to keep performing. At the end of the day this is our job. You’re here to perform, so trying to focus on that, as well.
“I guess it could be a feeling of content after you win the Masters, but you can’t let that become the main thing because you have three more majors and many other things to accomplish afterwards.”
When it involves his recreation, Rahm is extra involved along with his focus and psychological strategy than any shotmaking points.
“There are always little things we all want to improve,” he mentioned. “But I think at the end of the day it’s all what’s going on between the ears on the golf course more than technique at this point of the season.”