THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2021

Jon Rahm

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. Just describe your round today.

JON RAHM: My round? I just felt a lot more in command of my game and my swing today. I played really good, especially those first 13 holes, man, I played some beautiful golf, and I had a great time out there, hitting great golf shots, making good swings. Even the bogey on 10 was a beautiful shot that was maybe a yard too far, a yard too far left and that was more because of a misjudge in the wind than anything else. It was a good swing.

And then, well, starting on 14, this is not the easiest golf course in the world. You've got to hit really quality shots, and I just didn't give myself the best chances. I had birdie putts but I was just too far away on all of them.

And then I played 17 and 18 really, really solid. I'm proud of myself, because after missing a couple tee shots you've got to step up and hit some quality shots, and I did.

Hopefully I can keep the good ball-striking going tomorrow, and I've been holing some putts almost every day. If I get a pretty good start I'll have a chance.

Q. What was the biggest difference in your swing today?

JON RAHM: Listen, there's always one of three things in my swing that make a big difference, at least in my feel. Sometimes, technically speaking, if anybody wants to know, my hands go out and the club head goes in, so I bow my wrist a little bit too much, I don't turn properly and I kind of get stuck, I get too steep and sometimes I end up kind of toe hooking it. That's where the left miss happens.

The better part of outside was trying to feel like that club head was outside my hands. Then when I got to the range today it felt absolutely amazing. And I got to that first tee, striped that tee shot and that was that.

Q. Is this a golf course you can become more comfortable on the more time you spend on it?

JON RAHM: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, the good thing about it is you have so many choices off the tee. You can do whatever the heck you want. You can hit driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, iron. Whatever you want, you've just got to put it in play and give yourself chances. You can't be really overly aggressive. I was 5-under on the front nine because I made two lengthy putts and I was able to take advantage of the three wedges that I had in my hands. Nothing like hitting 7-irons to a foot or anything like that. I was just -- some of those days you get good numbers, and to take advantage of them, but yeah. You know, I would say the more you play a golf course, the more comfortable you can get, especially the more times you play it well because you understand what really works for you and what doesn't work and certain strategies. I feel like I've played well in the past, I've had good rounds, and I keep learning from that experience.

Q. Because of what Bryson has done over the last year, have you found yourself chasing speed or distance at all?

JON RAHM: Not in a way where I'm going to go out of my way trying to gain a lot of muscle or change my body constitution in any way. I'm already a good striker. Usually I'm up there in the rankings when it comes to strokes gained off the tee and tee to green. I feel like the way I can do it, and I started doing it recently, but not by much, is just slowly you've got to move the meter, that limit, just a little bit higher. So without trying to get too much muscle on me, just got to swing hard. Just go to the range, maybe 10, 15 drivers as hard as you can swing it, don't care where it goes, and hopefully raise that limit. I feel like that's what you can do. I think that's what Rory told me he's doing. I'll see if I do it or not. I'm pretty comfortable where I am and feel like I hit it far enough already, but extra distance is never bad.