BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

September 15, 2026

Jon Rahm

Wentworth Golf Club

Press Conference

CLARE BODEL: Let's get started. Jon, welcome to the BMW PGA Championship once again. It's an event where we've seen some good performances, some results from you in the past. Tell us what you like about this event, what you like about this venue.

JON RAHM: Thank you. It's been a good week for me for the most part, good chances to win. I've had some thrilling finishes and some good moments in general. I don't know what to say as to why certain weeks work better than some others.

If I had to say anything, it's a demanding golf course to a degree. You have a lot of variety of tee shots, for the most part narrow. You need to do a good job ball striking, and that's always going to set you up very nicely.

But in general, you need to hit it very, very well. There's wind. There's trees. There's swirling. You need to have high quality ball striking to have a chance to win. I think you can see that throughout the quality of past champions and what they've been able to do.

Obviously when you win, you need to do everything well, but the people that play consistently well here are the people that have control over the golf ball.

CLARE BODEL: You talk about your love for the history of the game. Like you say, this tournament has some incredible names on the trophy, but is this one you'd like to add your name to?

JON RAHM: I would love to. It's changed over the years from being match play to now being a big field with stroke play. As an event, it's changed. I think the magnitude, at least for the ones here, hasn't really changed. Us, the Europeans, the DP World Tour players, it's definitely something we all want to win.

I'm hoping if I get a chance again on Sunday, I can finish it out this time.

Q. Are you fed up with questions about LIV 1.0?

JON RAHM: No. I understand you're all doing your job, I get it.

Q. You are very patient.

JON RAHM: Well, thank you. It's not always the strongest of my traits, but thank you for that (laughter).

Q. What has been the high point of your year so far?

JON RAHM: I think it's still to come, I would say. Obviously awaiting the little one within a month or so, so that's always going to be higher than anything else.

If we're talking golf-wise, getting over that little bit of a drought and winning in Hong Kong at a golf course that I really liked, at a city that I really liked, in a tournament that I really wanted to win, I would say that would be the high end so far.

Q. Just to ask the obligatory questions about LIV, has that moved on much since you spoke in Ireland?

JON RAHM: I'm liking that you all see the humour in this at this point. No, nothing's changed. It would be the same answer.

Q. You mentioned, and obviously a few of us noticed, that you said that you have a contract with LIV 1.0 that you're willing to honour. Obviously we're now talking about LIV 2.0. What would have to change for you to leave LIV, for want of a better expression? What I mean is is there a threshold? Is there room in the middle, or if that contract you originally signed is no longer in existence, is that just a hard line out?

JON RAHM: Well, there's a long legal process they have to go through before a lot of things fall into place. I really can't give you an answer right now.

Like I said, I'm very close to expecting our fourth. Hopefully playing good this week, and at the end of the year, whether we play in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or elsewhere, so until this current season is done, I really won't be able to give you an answer.

Q. Just bringing you back to this event, can you share your first memories of this event, maybe watching it back home?

JON RAHM: I wouldn't say I was too young. The first memory that comes to mind is Alex's, I think it was 62 on Sunday, but I was already a professional when that happened, to win it. Before that, Rory's 65, I believe it was on Sunday to win it in '14.

I don't have a lot of memories before that moment. I think the funniest one is the fruitcake incident with Seve and Nick Price, I believe, but obviously I didn't watch that live.

That I think I've seen live is most likely, that I remember seeing is Rory's performance in 2014.

Q. You spoke about your record here. You've not been above par here. Is this one of those venues you really look forward to coming to because of the way you've played here?

JON RAHM: I think I always look forward to coming to it because of the significance of the event and the golf course. It's one of those weeks where when you're playing mostly in the U.S. throughout the year through August. Coming to some of those events here in the fall in Europe in a venue like this one, it's golf is slightly different.

I would say the essence of the game feels a little different to me just because of the type of golf being played. The variety of balls that you have out here is very, very special.

What I said earlier, because ball striking is at such a premium, I think that's why I've been able to do so well here.

Q. Just to go back to LIV, in terms of the changes that they've proposed for 2.0, I just wondered your thoughts and how much of a say the players have had in things like that.

JON RAHM: I think some players have had more involvement than others. I think some people have wanted to be more involved than others. If there's anything I've learned the last, I would say, five, six years, it's that I don't know if I'm meant to be involved in the politics of this game. I don't think I'm suited for that line of work.

Luckily I'm good at hitting a golf ball, and I think that's what I should be sticking to. But I haven't really been involved in that. Some players have. Obviously we all know Bryson has been quite involved.

Q. I know you mentioned the legalities and things, but when you said you would honour 1.0, does that mean you don't have a commitment yet with 2.0?

JON RAHM: I said what I said.

Q. Can you just share a little bit about Adare Manor, how useful that was? Just everything that went on.

JON RAHM: Any time I'm asked to go to Adare Manor, I'm going to go happily and willingly. It's one of the best hotel golf course experiences there is in the world. It was a lot of fun. Obviously some Ryder Cup members, some possible prospects for the Ryder Cup. It was very enjoyable.

I think those days are great for all of us to see each other and just in a way remember why we do what we do. But for people that have never been involved in anything Ryder Cup related, I think it's great to get a little bit of an example of what things may look like and what things may be like.

So for those players that have never been there before, I think it's just getting those first nerves out of the way of what things may -- how they may feel I think is very, very important.

As far as for me, for all we knew, they re-grassed the place. They went from European rye to American rye, if I'm correct. With the good weather they've had in Europe, in Ireland, it was in as good a shape as I've ever seen it. It was actually firm. I mean, they could have had it as fast as they wanted to. It wasn't overly fast because obviously I think they want the public to still enjoy the week. It was in perfect condition. It was immaculate.

Obviously talking to Luke and the vice captains about what changes they made to the golf course, but it was a lot of fun.

Q. Obviously France and Rome European players have played tournaments there. You're not going to have that for Adare. Is that going to be a bit of a challenge for you guys?

JON RAHM: No, I don't think so. I think luckily JP is willing to have us and host us there any time we want. If we want to have plenty of experience and play it, I think we can take advantage of it.

Q. Wanted to ask you a couple of things on the Ryder Cup as it's already just a year away. Do you remember the first moment you realised what a big deal the Ryder Cup was?

JON RAHM: I think it's the difference between knowing how big a deal it is to experiencing it. In my case, I would say it was 2012 because up until then I experienced every Ryder Cup in Europe. By experiencing that one in the U.S., I had just arrived to university in the U.S., kind of gave me an idea how big it is.

It all pales in comparison to when you make a team and what that feels like.

Q. You were too young to watch Seve, but even that final day, you said the team was inspired by Seve. Talk a little about how Seve's memory and inspiration continues even to this day to guys like you who don't even recall seeing him play maybe.

JON RAHM: In a way he became the essence of the team. His charisma and the way he competed became essentially the style of the Europeans team for years to come. We've had so many players that shared a lot of time with him come afterwards that have been able to keep that legacy alive.

Obviously having Jose in the locker room is massive because nobody can bring that to life better than he can. And every Ryder Cup he's been there, we're asking for stories to relive those moments and understand what came before us and trying to play like they played before us as well.

It's very, very important. It was certainly very much alive in Rome. Captain did an incredible job of that, and I think he's getting us very used to an excellent level of captaincy as well. So I think he's going to do a great job again of trying to make sure we play with the same idea in mind.

Q. You played with Sergio, like teamed up so well together. Do you feel like you're now carrying the torch for Spain? Spain's been so important in the Ryder Cup since '79.

JON RAHM: I haven't thought about it. If so, it's a true honour to be able to take on that responsibility. The way I see it, I try to play like the way I would like to. I just try to be me out there. If that somehow lines up with the Spanish players in the past, that's amazing.

But as a Spaniard, the first time you go into a Ryder Cup, there is a level of -- I wouldn't say pressure, but intensity just knowing what they've done before me, knowing what Sergio, Ollie, and Seve -- there's been more, but what those three have been able to do.

There's a little bit of, I would say, a standard to live up to. Hopefully I can live up to it.

Q. One final honest one. Why do you and Tyrrell get along so well on and off the course?

JON RAHM: We're very similar. I think our reactions on the golf course come from a very similar place. We're both extremely demanding on us, on ourselves, and when we make a mistake, we -- I would say we process it in a similar way. Outwardly it comes out different, but the process inside is very, very similar. So we understand each other in that way.

Now, off the golf course, I would say we're both very different to what you see on the golf course, and we're very good at making fun of ourselves. So when you put us together, we're very aware of where we're at. If he hits a bad shot, if I hit a bad shot, I know exactly what he's going through and what I'm going through and what thoughts are possibly going through our minds. So we can very quickly make fun of each other and just move on.

I don't know what it is, but it's obviously worked very, very well.

Q. Was there any talk of the changes that the Americans have made to their qualifying process? Do you know what they are?

JON RAHM: I don't know, no.

Q. It's tougher. They're giving much more points to the current year than they did before. That's the essence of it.

JON RAHM: Okay. They had a two-year system then. Yeah, I don't even know what the European team's qualifying criteria is to be honest. I just hoped I wouldn't have to be in it (laughter).

It's understandable they're looking to make changes, giving more importance to the points closer to the Ryder Cup makes sense to find the players that have been playing the best leading up to it. So that makes sense.

And I get that they're trying to adjust because we have been able to be successful in the last few. Besides that, I don't know what they've done.

Q. There was no talk of it in Adare Manor?

JON RAHM: No. We were focused on getting together. Plus it was a quick trip. We got there, had a quick dinner, played 18, and we're here. There wasn't that much time for extra talks.

Q. Can I just quickly ask you about the fourth, as you refer to it just now. Do you know whether it's a boy or a girl?

JON RAHM: Yeah, it's another girl.

I don't know why I was thinking of something else. I was thinking of a foursome on the golf course.

Q. Because of the uncertainty of your schedule going forward, is there concern that you won't be able to show your best for Luke?

JON RAHM: No.

Q. I just want to confirm, so you are concerned?

JON RAHM: No, I'm not concerned.

Q. Secondly, could you talk a little bit about Luke as a captain the first time round and Luke the captain today.

JON RAHM: He's been very consistent, I would say. He is the kind of personality that will do a very good job in a leadership role like this one. He's somebody that's premeditated, somebody that thinks things through, someone that has a plan and has adjustments for those plans if things go wrong. He's very calm and very balanced.

We actually had a talk about that recently because I kept thinking, I told him, I can't believe you're doing this as well as you have done because when we're playing and we see him, you see him as just pure calmness. Every moment of every day, he looks cool, collected, and under control.

I know myself in that situation would be very far from that. So I know I'm nowhere ready to be a Ryder Cup captain. Hopefully in the future I will be, but not right now. It's truly inspiring.

He keeps working as hard as he did for that first Ryder Cup, and I think with the experience of knowing what to expect, he can work different angles. It also comes with challenges, right? He's been so successful, he needs to find a way to inspire all of us and get the messaging across as good as he has right now.

So as good as he has been, he's still determined to obviously keep his captaincy at the level he has so far. Again, I think the best way to describe it is inspiring because he truly is incredible at it.

Q. Just wondered if you could speak about the strength of the DP World Tour and where it finds itself in the landscape now with LIV 1.0 over, if it's got sort of an opportunity?

JON RAHM: To be able to answer that, I think we need to know how exactly LIV 2.0 is going to shape up. I think this is another opportunity for the DP World Tour to make some adjustments and gain some strength. That's a hundred percent.

I think the Tour's in a good spot, and with the changes coming in the future, mainly in '28 on the PGA TOUR, Guy and his team are going to have to change some things, but that always opens doors to strengthen some areas.

I think this next year and a half, year, is going to be possibly important to hopefully elevate the DP World Tour a little bit more.