LIV GOLF ANDALUCíA

July 9, 2025

Jon Rahm

Real Club Valderrama

Legion XIII

Press Conference

Q. Is Ryder Cup a part of your season plan?

JON RAHM: Yes, it's always been.

Q. In reality or in dreams?

JON RAHM: Both. I can still qualify, so hopefully I qualify, and it's a reality. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to win next week, but it's a possibility, and if not, we'll see what happens. But I'd like to think that I've played good enough to, if possible, be a pick.

Q. What would it mean emotionally for you?

JON RAHM: It's hard to explain because it means so much. It's such a special event. The last three have all been incredibly wonderful in different ways, even in the last -- the process throughout the week, the camaraderie, the friendships and the memories that are made are quite special.

But the last one in Rome was so much fun. It was so incredible. We made such a fun team, such a fun week of work that I want to be a part of that again and hopefully help Europe win on U.S. soil again.

Q. You've showed a level of consistency that we've become very familiar with from yourself this year, but you haven't been able to get that win. What do you think the missing piece is for you at the moment?

JON RAHM: I don't think there's any secret to it. I would simply say I haven't played my best. Luckily with my swing mechanics, for most of my pro career, I've been able to be very consistent, even when I haven't felt to my full capacity. I think that's what we've seen.

I'm hoping that, kind of like last year, I get to have a second push this year and play better.

But it's very close. It's one of those things that it's a little bit frustrating because I feel how close it is and I feel how any given week, all the things are going to fall in line and I'm going to have a fantastic tournament, and hopefully it happens sooner than later.

Q. How special is it to be back in Spain? And there is some talk that this event will move to June next year. I think a lot of you guys have found it difficult preparing for the Open by playing this golf course and having to play links golf a week later. If it does move to June, you'd be supportive of that and having the chance to go and play on the DP World Tour in the UK and get a week's reps in before the Open?

JON RAHM: The DP World Tour before -- you mean the Genesis Open?

Q. Yeah, to then play the Open next year, or even if you just go and play some links golf on your own?

JON RAHM: Yeah, if it changes weeks on the calendar, the good thing about this part of the country is weather is so good, and they have the workforce here to have the golf course in championship condition whenever they want. You have a very large part of the year where you can host it here. So luckily that's not an issue.

It's such a wonderful golf course, a wonderful venue, that every player I've talked to -- not every one, but a lot of them love it. I see a lot of families come this week and some of them come early and stay late because it's wonderful to be here. Food is good, people are good, course is good. There's not really anything else to ask for.

As it goes to preparing for a major, yeah, listen, it's hard to get ready for links golf unless you're in links golf, but luckily this is a challenging golf course so the mindset you can work on in that sense. It is always windy so you do get to play in the wind before going to the Open.

It all depends on your preference. I do agree if you can play a links week before a links tournament it's going to be great. However, if you want to play a tournament and practice. But it's whatever the league needs to do to play a better schedule, and if that means playing in June, I'll come to play in Spain whenever they want to. Whenever they can make it happen, I'll be here regardless.

Q. You said it's a great event for families. Have you brought the family with you this week?

JON RAHM: Yeah. Part of the family lives in Spain so that's fairly easy. But yeah, they'll be here.

Q. Nice to bring the kids to Spain having been based in the States for a long time?

JON RAHM: Yeah. They are actually possibly arriving in the next hour or so. I'm excited for that once my practice day is done today I'll be able to spend the afternoon with them. For me to have my kids be coming to where I'm from, where I think my eldest is coming to understand that I grew up somewhere else and is coming to know that it's also going to be a part of them, I think there's some values that I would like them to learn, and I think that's one of them. It's wonderful for me to have them here.

Q. It's fair to say you've got pretty good links form in Ireland over the years. What is it about it over there, and how much confidence do you take from that into Portrush?

JON RAHM: I don't know what it is. I think every week I've had in Ireland has been such a wonderful experience. Whether it's the golf course, the tournament, the people, I don't know. I really couldn't tell you exactly what it is. But every time I've gone it's been overwhelmingly positive, so I think that's led to me playing good. Or simply the fact that the first time I ever went to Ireland I played so good that I just kind of carried on. But every experience I've had there has been great. The times we've gone, even if it's on time off with the family or tournaments, it's always been such a great one that whenever I go back, I think I feed off of that.

When it comes to golf, I don't know if there's any secret to it, really.

Q. My Spanish colleagues were asking you a lot of Valderrama, how special it is. Would you do me a favor and just repeat it in English again?

JON RAHM: Well, I think the main question is usually how special it is for us to be back here, to be able to come to a LIV event and play in our home country in front of the home crowd on a great golf course and great venue like Valderrama. Yeah, it's wonderful. There's a lot of history to this course. There's a lot of legacy to this course.

It's extremely difficult, and the fact that Sergio is the only Spanish player to have ever won here that's played in LIV because Otaegui has won. Adrian was able to win with a record margin with a crazy score that I don't think anybody would have ever thought of. It's just a challenge in every way.

To be able to win at a challenging golf course at your home course, it's special. Playing with Sergio last year on Sunday and being there on 18 during the playoff and seeing the crowd embrace and what it meant to them at the end was so much fun to be a part of. I've been able to win in Madrid. I've been able to win here of the if my first win of the year would be here, it would be quite special.

Q. You're playing all over the world, mainly really good golf courses. Where do you rank Valderrama?

JON RAHM: It's hard to categorize. For many obvious reasons, my favorite course I'm always going to say is Torrey Pines. It's a very unpopular opinion, but that's me.

I haven't played some of those great -- I've never been to Royal County Down. I've never been to Muirfield, never been to Turnberry, never played Pine Valley. I'm missing a lot of great courses in the world that a lot of people say. But as far as competition courses, because of the unusual design, it's not long, it's short and tricky, I always kind of -- for people that don't understand, I compare it a little bit to Harbour Town or the old Colonial for U.S. people. It's just not long, and it's usually tricky weather, and on a golf course where for the most part if you shoot even par, you're going to be top 10 99.9 percent of the years we play here and sometimes you're going to win shows how unique it is.

I would put Valderrama in my top 5 of championship courses for sure. It's hard to argue against Augusta National. It's hard to argue against some great Open venues like St Andrews. The more I play Royal Troon, the more I like it. Some major venues are hard to argue against.

So those excluded, this one might be top 3.

Q. You are fighting for your first win this season, but your team is also on the heels of the Crushers and the season standings. What role does team strategy play during tournaments for you and your team?

JON RAHM: Well, it's a little different to, I would say, most team events because even though we are a team, I can't influence how my teammates play, even if I play with them. There's still an integrity to our own rounds. All I can do myself is be there for them for whatever advice they need before or after rounds, even in practice rounds, but I can't directly affect how they compete while we're doing anything.

I would say it doesn't really occupy a lot of my time on team strategy in that sense. I think when it comes towards the end of the year and the Team Championship and we can have a bit of a say on who plays who on the matchups, then you think about it, but even then, we all have to prepare ourselves to play individually.

It's a tricky dynamic to have as a captain, but I guess my job is to help them prepare the best they can. They're all very incredible golfers, accomplished in their own right, so there's only so much I can do or say.

Q. As a team captain, apart from supporting them and being there for them, what else are your tasks that you do week for week or during the season that your teammates maybe don't have?

JON RAHM: It's not so related to golf. It's maybe more duties off the golf course, more meetings, more decisions to be made when it comes to sponsors, outfits. That's not really important, but actually Tyrrell takes care of that for the most part. He's our designer in that matter. It's the one in charge. I can just say yes or no. But he does most of the outfits.

Nothing flashy, honestly. It's just between me and my GM, some decisions that need to be made or some meetings we need to be a part of for the future of the team, sponsor outings. A week like this one for me it's a little bit busier being hometown, but for the most part it's not golf related. It's more business related.

Q. Just curious, what's the shot you most enjoy hitting on this course?

JON RAHM: The shot? Hopefully if you win, the last one. Otherwise, there are so many shots here that if it comes out well, it's so satisfying because of the danger that just lurks everywhere. I would say any par-3 if you hit it on the green, you're happy. Especially on the back nine. 12 and 15 are two beasts of par-3s. Small targets, for the most part always into the wind, and side wind. If you put it on the green on those two, you're almost prancing to the green. You're happy.

On the other one, it's almost 18. If you put it on the fairway on 18, which is extremely difficult, no matter how you play it, it's a really good feeling, just being able to hit that tee shot. If you see it go in the fairway, goes through the trees, it's really tricky, it's special. Even if you're in the fairway, hopefully you have a clear shot, because out here you can hit the fairway and have tree branches in the way and have to maneuver the ball a little bit. It's just hard.

Q. Has there been one shot that's been particularly troublesome for you through the years here?

JON RAHM: There's just so many. I would say the one that's trickiest to actually put in the fairway with a good look, it might be the second hole just because of the tree. You can choose to lay back, but even then -- if you lay back short, you still don't have the longest club in the world, but you still have the trees in the way and you can't really see. If you choose to go past the trees, it's very easy to go through the fairway, you have a clear shot but now you're in the rough in windy conditions and possibly firm greens. It's just not easy in general. You have to make a decision and just live with it however it goes on that hole.

But yeah, that one seems to be just a bit of a headache, which is hard. You want to push it but you can't. You have the tree in the middle of the fairway. It just makes it tough. There's a lot of tee shots we can go on here that are very difficult, but if I had to put a few in play, 2, 8 for obvious reasons, but then 16 and 18 are just tricky. They're hard to actually put it in the fairway with a clear shot.