LIV GOLF MEXICO CITY

April 18, 2026

Jon Rahm

Club de Golf Chapultepec

Legion XIII

Press Conference

Q. Hi Jon. Welcome back to the media center. You shot a 67, four under par. You’re in sole possession of first place.

Three of the four Legion XIII players are in the top three spots. As captain, how does it feel to see the Legion XIII flag at the top of the leaderboard?

JON RAHM: It’s a real honor. Honestly. It’s great to see them playing well, too. It’s a shame Caleb didn’t have the first two days he wanted. But Tom, someone who always hits the ball very solidly and plays very consistently, hadn’t yet had the finish he wanted. And it’s good that he now has a chance to take the lead today. That’s good, isn’t it? And to have that experience. He’s playing very, very well.

Tyrell, well, what about Tyrell? Tyrell is a great golfer. He might not have had the start to the year he wanted, but last week he played incredible golf. Right?

So I’m not surprised at all. I’m happy to see them up there. And let’s see if it’s not me, but one of the three of us who wins tomorrow.

Q. What would it mean to you to finally be crowned champion at Chapultepec in Mexico?

JON RAHM: Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve had three chances to win. I’ve had opportunities. And I haven’t managed to pull it off. Let’s see if this is obviously the best chance, right? As it starts tomorrow. It would be a source of great pride.

I’ve been lucky enough to win in Mexico. But hopefully I can do it in Mexico City too.

Q. I understand that you’re obviously happy that Legion XIII can win. But I’d like to ask you where nationalism fits into this. Right?

Because Fireballs is right behind you, with four Spaniards, obviously, who’ve known each other for a long time.

JON RAHM: Yes, even though they’re four “Spaniards,” tomorrow they’re the enemy, in that sense. Although they’re all great friends, and I wish them the best, when it comes to golf tomorrow, not so much.

So I’d rather not think about them. And just play well. Although they had a great day today with Josele and David shooting great rounds of golf. And Luis playing very well too.

But, like I said. It’s “friendship” when you’re competing against each other. I don’t wish them ill. But I don’t wish them too much good either.

Q. Once again, a day of ups and downs. Actually, the finish on the back nine was especially good—those five birdies are what ultimately gave you the lead.

Do you think your mindset is what might end up making the difference tomorrow, on championship day?

And if you’ll allow me a second question, the song you chose, “El Sonidito”—was that your decision or the team’s? Why did you choose that song?

JON RAHM: The song was my decision. I had it last year too. But I had a Mexican teammate in college—from a Mexican family, though he was born in the U.S.—and a roommate who was also from a Mexican family. Right?

So it’s a song I’ve listened to a lot. I know that, well, it’s known almost all over Mexico. And also, not just because I like it and because it brings back great memories, but because I think it creates a good atmosphere. And to surprise the Mexican audience a little. I imagine no one would expect me to choose that song.

Q. And looking ahead to tomorrow?

JON RAHM: Well, I think victory always defines mental strength a bit. Right?

And who’s playing better technically. It’s both. So if I manage to win tomorrow, well, yes, I’d say it’s partly because of how well I’ve done mentally. And technically, too. It’s clearly a combination of the two.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, with a two-stroke lead on a course you know well and that suits you very well—where you also hold the course record—do you see yourself starting with a solid tee shot? Or have you sometimes come back from some pretty epic rounds, so you wouldn’t mind having to do that at some point?

JON RAHM: Well, it’s a course where you can make very few mistakes. But it can also get complicated quickly. Right? It’s a narrow course where the wind comes and goes. Gusts. The greens are small. The margins aren’t very big. And you can make good decisions, hit good shots onto the greens, and still end up in tricky positions.

So yes, I do have the lead. But you have to play well. You have to go out and play well tomorrow. And I have to play just as well as I have so far, or better, to get the win.

Q. Throughout this round, the leaderboard at this LIV Golf Mexico event was constantly shifting. At least four golfers took the lead. You regained it. Do you think this has been the most difficult round so far in the tournament?

JON RAHM: This week? Yes. I don’t know if I’d call it difficult. It got tricky for me on that 5th hole. Right?

I’ve had a bit of bad luck because, the way the ball was flying, there must have been a slight slope that I didn’t see. Because it doesn’t really make sense that with a wedge, the ball would move 25 meters from right to left, with the wind blowing from the left. And especially at this altitude, it would be hard for me to do that even from the fairway.

So it got tricky for me in that sense. Right? I had several swings from the 5th to the 9th where I didn’t feel good. And I ended up in some not-so-great spots.

In those moments, you have to stay calm. Because these things happen in competition. They happen to everyone at high altitude. So, well, at least I was able to stay calm in that regard. And play very well in the end.

It happens almost every round. So on the first day, I got off to a great start with birdies. But there are stretches where, of course, things can get complicated. It’s very difficult to play this course perfectly. And you have to deal with those rough patches.

But yeah. Seeing so many different names take the lead has surprised me, to be honest. I didn’t expect so many changes toward the end, especially because it seems like Branden Grace just came out of nowhere. Every time I looked—I didn’t pay close attention, but I didn’t see his name much—and suddenly he’s the leader. Right?

It really surprised me in that sense, too.

Q. Rahmbo, are you aware that you have a historic 15-stroke lead? Never before has there been such a margin between first and second place as a team. Is that a plus for you, a motivation? Or do you not even think about it?

JON RAHM: We don’t even think about it. Because at the end of the day, we’re playing 72 holes tomorrow as a team. So we have to keep playing well.

We have to keep playing well. We have to keep making few mistakes. And besides, the good thing is that you have three guys competing for the win. Right?

I hope—I mean, I hope Tyrell and Tom start strong because those first holes, 1 through 3, offer plenty of opportunities for birdies and more. Right?

But with two par 5s where you can reach the green, we have to hope they start strong. And let’s see if we all do it, and we all start strong, and as a team we play very well. And we finish with a much bigger lead than we have now. That would be the overall goal.

Q. Good afternoon. Do you see yourself as the favorite to finish strong this weekend?

JON RAHM: Being the leader with a two-stroke lead, I’d say yes. But even so, we have to do it.

Q. You’re always praised for how well-rounded you are—your distance, your short game. How important is having a sharp putter on greens like the ones on this course for your game?

JON RAHM: Very important. You have to go in with a lot of confidence. But you also have to understand that poa is poa. And some putts are going to roll strangely. Right?

Like what happened to me on the 18th. It went a way I didn’t expect. That’s going to happen to all of us. And you have to go in with a lot of confidence.

The truth is, you have to try not to let the frustrations get to you. Because of what I said. We’re all going to miss putts as usual, but a week like this, a little more. Right?

So it’s kind of a game of playing really well and “not having bad luck.”

Q. Jon, the first tournament LIV Golf ever had was a podium sweep by one team. It's not been done since. You guys obviously are in great shape to do it tomorrow.

JON RAHM: I mean, I hope so, yeah. Yeah, I hope so. Too bad Tom didn't roll that one in on the 17th hole because we would have had an all-Legion final group, and it would have been amazing to have a podium. But even then, there's a lot of players within close distance that are probably going to come out firing tomorrow, so I'm hoping all three of us play really good, as well. That would be a sight to see, to win individually, clean podium, team championship, everything. That would be something special.

Q. Obviously you and Tyrrell have played a lot of rounds together, partners together. But this will be the first time you've played in the final group in the final round of LIV Golf. Do you feel like there will be any change of dynamic than previous rounds where there hasn't been a trophy on the line?

JON RAHM: I mean, I don't see the dynamic changing a lot, but I can imagine we're going to be speaking a little bit less than we do normally just because of the situation we're going to be in. That's it. That's just a natural thing. Down the stretch, no matter who we're playing with, usually the conversations are very limited.

But I don't foresee a change in obviously how we handle each other.

Q. Obviously you have the course record here. You seem very comfortable on the back nine this week. I think you're 11-under with just one bogey. Just how comfortable did you feel coming into this tournament, especially given your history here?

JON RAHM: There is a level of comfort with the type of golf course here, and I grew up on poa annua grass. Most of the courses I grew up playing in bask country aren't flat. The greens are very sloped. Shots are never straight. Yeah, there is a familiarity with it.

But you still have to do it. I think I just simply enjoy this type of golf course. Off the tee for the most part, it dictates what you need to do. It doesn't give you a massive amount of options on some of the holes. You just have to do whatever the course is asking you to do.

But I think because I grew up with poa annua greens and I have a bit of an understanding of how they work, maybe I have an ever-so-slight edge in that sense. But I don't know, I think once you start playing a course and you play some good rounds early, you always have a good vibe. I've definitely had some bad rounds, as well, but clearly lately it's been pretty good.