LIV GOLF SOUTH AFRICA

March 21, 2026

Jon Rahm

The Club at Steyn City

Legion XIII

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Three rounds into LIV Golf South Africa, could you please share what this experience has been like?

JON RAHM: Very few crowds, very few fans are ever going to be better, in every sense of the word, than these fans this week. The support they've given the South Africans but everybody in the group, the respect towards us, the respects towards the game, is something that you see in very few places. They came in in big masses, as well.

The only reason why it doesn't feel like it's a much bigger deal than it really is, or it feels more than what it feels like right now is because the golf course is so big. The property is so massive and it's so spread out that 30,000, 40,000 people feel like nothing in some areas, but it's special. It's definitely one of the best weeks I've seen support-wise, and that's in every sense of the word.

Q. You've now had three rounds on the golf course. You've got a pretty good idea of what's what out there. Going into the final round the goal is to win. Do you have a game plan where you can map out parts of the course with the knowledge you have now where you can say what's gettable, where you're looking to go, or is it a hole-to-hole basis strategy-wise?

JON RAHM: With the golf course being soft and being at altitude, it still plays quite short. I think you've seen this course; you have to go make as many birdies as possible. You can come out there tomorrow, shoot 7-under, it very well may not be enough because of how gettable it can be.

As the week goes on, I think we all get more comfortable on certain lines off the tee and how to play the golf course. You get more comfortable on the greens and more birdies are required. It's key to get off to a good start. Bryson has done a great job on that every single day. His first seven holes, you have two drivable par-4s, a par-5, and basically mid to short irons into most of the par-3s and par-4s, so you should be looking at a few birdies on those holes.

But even if you don't, you still have a lot of birdie opportunities. Some holes appear may not be the easiest to hit it close to are still doable.

Again, it's just one of those weeks where birdies come in abundance, and you have to be one of those guys making them.

Q. I asked this to Bryson two days ago. The crowd is very much golf starved for this scale of event; have you heard anything that's a bit strange or fan customs that make this place a bit more unique than others?

JON RAHM: Nothing weird, nothing that different. I've enjoyed playing with two South Africans, so honestly, anytime you get to a tee box, it feels like it's the 18th hole on every single one of them with the amount of cheers they get. I've been very fortunate to get a lot of crowd support. To be honest, based on what I've witnessed today, Dean for president, honestly. His shoulders might be so sore from waving at the crowd and thumbs up and everything.

The fact that he somehow can get back and focus on his round with how much attention he gives the fans, it's incredible, but he created an atmosphere in that group that was extremely fun. Very few can rival how enjoyable today was with how great we all three played.

I would say I've heard a lot of funny people, but they're speaking Afrikaans, so I couldn't understand any of it. Nothing special, no, nothing great. That's what makes it so interesting and so beautiful, that they're cheering really hard for the South Africans and for good golf, but they've been extremely respectful of everybody, and that makes it an absolute joy to play in front of them.

Q. Just in terms of your team, Legion XIII, we saw you guys have a strong showing today. How important was it for you guys to do that today, just to bring things together?

JON RAHM: I was trying to look at the scores but my phone isn't working so I have no idea what we did today. I think I saw we got close to like 49-under, something like that, 47, 48, something --

Q. It was 18-under for round 3. 47 under right now, currently in fifth.

JON RAHM: I think we had an unfortunate finish yesterday. Tom had a triple on 1. It was a lost ball just left of the green. It's unfortunate that that happens. Actually two balls in his group were lost, with Dustin, as well, hitting one online with the pin, and then he got unfortunate with a big gust of wind on 5, and his tee shot didn't carry the lake. I mean, you're looking at, if you don't get the unfortunate situation of that happening, you're looking at at least a five-shot swing, so that 1-over turns into 4-under and it's a big difference, both in the team and his individual score.

Caleb has been playing solid. I'm assuming today he had another solid round. Tyrrell is the only one that obviously didn't have the day he expected, didn't play to the level he can play at. I'm assuming, based on how low we shot, that he had a better day today. So I'm happy for him in that regard.

I'm not surprised we had this good a Saturday, but hopefully with full faith, maybe we can do it again and give the top teams a run for their money. But I think for team morale we needed to have a better day.

THE MODERATOR: Just to clarify, the team was 28-under for the day.

JON RAHM: Let me rephrase. We killed it today. That was unbelievable. We all played great. Very happy with the team. We needed it. It is really funny -- I'll say this: First time I've ever had Nando's in my life was Wednesday, and I got the grilled chicken every day and Tyrrell didn't, but he got it last night, and I told him he could have a good day. So if you want to play golf tomorrow and have a good day, get the grilled chicken, half a chicken at Nando's, and you'll have a great day.

Q. We heard from the Southern Guards about the first tee box and how emotional it was for them. What was it like for you this morning knowing you had Dean on the box as well?

JON RAHM: It was not going to be nearly as emotional for me, but it's electric. It's a lot of fun. Again, it's an absolute joy to play in front of a crowd like that. You want to be in environments like this, and when you play good golf in front of them, it's even better.

I get why they're having such a good time. South Africa is deserving of -- they've had good enough golfers, many great golfers to play this game and is deserving of a really big, big event, and I feel like they haven't quite had as big of an event as they've wanted the last few years, and for us to come here and create this environment, I think it shows the power of the game. It shows the magnitude of really of the league and LIV Golf and what we can do. I'm only hoping that this is the beginning and it only grows from here.

Q. Obviously a win in Hong Kong and Singapore, top 5 finish. You're playing amazing. What's been the secret, and how do you kind of consistently play week in and week out?

JON RAHM: You know, as good as it looks, each week feels extremely different. I would say the main difference with Hong Kong to the other three weeks, I putted better in Hong Kong. I managed the golf course really, really well, but my putting was really, really good that week. Not that it hasn't been good, but every single putt I looked and I hit looked like it was going in all along, and you don't always get weeks like that. So that was a very special week in that regard.

Overall, just little details I've been doing better in general in my game. It's been better off the tee. My iron game has been better. My wedge game has been better, all of it.

Over 72 holes, it doesn't amount to the biggest difference but that one shot can be the difference maker overall. I'm just obviously enjoying a really good form of golf right now.

Q. Obviously you and Bryson were in the final group in Adelaide and you split the last two tournaments. You'll probably be in the final group tomorrow. How much have you enjoyed this competition with Bryson specifically, this kind of run that you guys are both on, top form, week to week, going at it constantly?

JON RAHM: Yeah, it's been fun. It's interesting, none of us had the Sunday we wanted in Adelaide, and after that for both of us to win, I think it shows that we learned from certain mistakes. He's been playing fantastic golf. It's been incredible. When he gets going, he's a very difficult man to beat, but that's what we're here for. We want to play against the best competition, and the best usually get the best out of their playing partners.

It looks like Gracey is going to be most likely ahead of me. If it's me, Bryson and Branden Grace, there's a clear favorite in that group, and me and Bryson are going to have to fight for the attention of the crowd in that sense, and we're going to have to give them a good show. Hopefully we can all come out like we did today and have a really fun Sunday with a lot of birdies.

Q. Could you kindly just explain your withdrawal of the appeal that you made against the DP World? Are you not worried about your participation for the Ryder Cup?

JON RAHM: We keep trying to talk with them and negotiate with them what the best outcome is for both of us. I've already told them, and I can say it again. They offered us a deal that I don't think was right, but if they changed it for me to play a minimum of four events -- I don't think it's right that they're requiring people to play more golf than is already required for the agreement they have with them, then I would sign with them. What that means is that our signing fines get paid for and I get released to play LIV Golf this year.

It doesn't seem like it should be a very difficult decision for them, but apparently me playing those two extra events is where they're drawing the line, and I told them I'm not willing to play. I've never played more than four events for the DP World Tour. I think the most I played one year was five, and that's for special circumstances.

Like I said, I don't plan to play in Europe, the DP World Tour at the end of the year, and there's the Omega, Irish Open, Wentworth, I think it's French Open, Dunhill, Spanish Open. That stretch, I'll most likely play my four, and I want to be there. Obviously, I'm going to be in Spain. That's always going to be my highlight for the year in that regard.

But yeah, we're trying to figure it out, and we're trying our best, but I don't feel like I'm asking for too much. If they just reduce it to four events, a lot of this gets cleared up.

Q. Obviously this golf course probably isn't the most comparable to Augusta, where is the next place you're going to be starting, but can you kind of get prepared for the Masters with the adrenaline, the intensity, the emotion that comes with playing in a tournament like this?

JON RAHM: There's no golf course on the planet that can be comparable to Augusta National. That's just -- you can do a good job mentally to try to prepare for it, but playing-wise, nothing plays like it. The crowd does help, though, in that sense. If you're playing the weekend at Augusta, you're going to have a lot of people following you. It's going to be a great atmosphere. It's one of those that I believe because phones aren't allowed, it's just much more electric because everybody is just focused on the golf and the essence of the Masters is so special.

On a week like this where the fans care so much about the home team and the home team is doing so well, it creates that electricity that may not be the same as oy major championship because it's a different feel, but for us playing against the South Africans, it definitely is a force to be reckoned with, and that can, in a sense, help you for a major championship. But golf course-wise, it's impossible to compare anything to Augusta National.

Q. Jon, you've mentioned that the local boys have had a lot of support on the course, as well, but you've also had a stellar day. You've got cheers everywhere you were going. Does playing in South Africa with that kind of support from the local crowd influence you guys to want to kind of push LIV to have more competitions in South Africa?

JON RAHM: 100 percent. I don't know if we'll ever get to have two events in the same country because we only have 14. But I do think it's a duty for this league to go to places where they need a big event. I think the best example, like with how big this one has been, with how big Australia is, with how much bigger Hong Kong is getting, for example, I would say the next point on the agenda would be to have a tournament in Latin America. And when I say Latin America, I mean south of Panama, the actual South American continent.

We have two teams full of Spanish speakers with one of them Latin Americans. I would say that would be a duty, to be somewhere in Chile ideally or Argentina, somewhere down there where they've never had an event this big. I think it's our duty, and I hope we can get there.

It's a lot of fun to go play in front of crowds that are hungry for good golf and for an event like this, and I think what LIV Golf has to offer fits really well with those crowds that want to go and have a good time. We're all for it, and it makes it a lot more fun for all of us.