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CAREERBUILDER CHALLENGE

January 21, 2018

Jon Rahm

La Quinta, California

Q. Two-time winner on the PGA TOUR. What does this moment mean to you?
JON RAHM: It's an incredible feeling. I had a good feeling going into today and to play the way I did and gave myself a chance, obviously props to Andrew, to birdie 18 from the right rough, having to birdie it, it's, I mean it's a heck of an accomplishment. To follow-up a shot that ended up one foot away, had a makeable birdie putt every time, it's amazing that he kept up and one of us had to do it and either one of us would have been a well-deserving champion. So I would say congrats to him. It's hard to explain what this means right now.

Q. What would you say if I were to tell you right now that with this win you move to No. 2 in the world rankings?
JON RAHM: It's hard to believe, to be honest, passing Jordan Spieth, three-time Major champion, I only have two wins, he's got 10 plus, right? It's, again, I said it many times, I never thought I was going to be at this point in my life right now, especially the way I won both victories, it couldn't be anymore different than the other. Incredibly proud of myself, my whole team, my caddie Adam, he does an outstanding job of keeping me calm. We have got many things, Twist Face, the driver was straight as could be today and none of them were in the center of the face. The new wedges, my whole team, Isagenix, Rolex, you know, Big Horn, which they were great very supportive to me this week. I'm staying up at the golf course, they're not charging me anything to stay up there, we have a great house. It's been, I couldn't be more thankful to everybody that's helped me out.

Q. It's going to be a pretty nice ride with another trophy in the car heading to San Diego as you defend.
JON RAHM: Thank you.

Q. Your second TOUR win, but it's days like this that really build character and build champions.
JON RAHM: I just always hoped I would go through my career without having to deal with a playoff. To be honest, yeah it's been a fighting day, I've been a ball striking clinic most of the week and in the playoff I was just not making the putts. I was just scared that Andrew was going to take the lead hand and make the putt. I just got fortunate that none of us really made any and I was able to make the one that mattered. But then again, it was really supreme ball striking on my part today. Especially on the back nine I hit the ball as good as I can, didn't miss many shots. I'm excited it happened the way it did because it's going to make me be a better player.

Q. Defending champion next week, how much does this win mean to you?
JON RAHM: It's incredible because coming back from the year I had last year, as I always said, I had a couple thoughts of am I going to win this year, right, and to do it basically my second chance -- the second in Kapalua -- and to come back here to this event ready to win, to start the way I did, fall back a little bit and then come back today to win again, it means a lot. And going to next week it's a lot of -- it puts a little bit more on me, I hoped it was going to be on Tiger the whole week and leave me a little bit alone, even though I was defending champion, but for sure this is going to carry a little bit of attention, but in the end I love Torrey Pines and I had a great week and hopefully I can carry the ball striking over and repeat.

Q. You start this week with a career best 62, you said the next two rounds you weren't too happy, but then you come out with a come from behind win in a playoff. What has this week been like?
JON RAHM: I would like to win one of those on the PGA TOUR in the old fashioned way, right, I mean not stress out on the last few holes. But to be honest I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to do it. Tournaments like this build character and I'm just proud of myself to hit what's probably my least favorite club, which is the 3-wood, three times in a row dead center on my line on 18 -- four times if you include the regular play. So, to be honest, really happy the way it happened the way it did and really proud of the way I played. I hit a lot of bad putts today, hit a lot of edges, but lucky the one I needed to make went in.

Q. You move to world No. 2. That is impressive considering last year when you left you were 137th in the world. What has led to this rapid rise?
JON RAHM: Like I said many times, the second shot out of the bunker on 13 at Torrey Pines that was what started the year and what kept me going. I'm out of words, I don't believe I got to where I got. I got to a spot where two other Spaniards have gotten, Sergio and Ollie and Seve, I believe I would be the fourth one, I believe, it is really a huge accomplishment at the age of 23, barely 23, so it's hard to explain.

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