RBC HERITAGE

April 14, 2023

Jon Rahm

Harbour Town Golf Links

Quick Quotes

Q. Jon, great second round, seven birdies, no bogeys. Nice save at 9 to stay at 7-under for the day. A wonderful start. Those birdies that you made, four in a row starting at 11, a key to getting you at this spot in the tournament.

JON RAHM: Yeah, absolutely. It's pretty funny, I told Adam after we birdied 12, man, I'm the bad player in this group, 2-under through three. I didn't think I'd be last in the group, but then I followed it up with two more.

That start was obviously key. Took advantage of some holes that were playing -- not that any hole is easy out here, but with the proper tee shots, they were very doable. Took advantage of that and was able to finish it off.

Things can get complicated here on this golf course, so keep hitting a lot of good shots. I would say highlighted by the two -- not lengthy, by two 10-footers for par on 9 and 18 that were very important to keep the round to be as low as it was.

Q. You kind of predicted this in your press conference this week. After all you went through last week and the celebration on Sunday night, you said, it might take me a while to get going here, but once I get going, if I can put myself in contention on the weekend, I'll be okay, and you've done that.

JON RAHM: Yeah, I said it would probably be unlike any other week. I said I was going to feel better, and it's the truth. The Pro-Am, I felt great. After three holes, my body said no more. Yesterday I felt okay, and it was a bit of a battle towards the end. That weather delay didn't help.

And today overall felt pretty good. I felt like my body was moving properly. Still not as good as I would like it to be, but really, really good.

So hopefully it can keep getting a little bit better. Glad it was a morning round today because I can get some lunch and rest the rest of the afternoon and be fresh for tomorrow.

Q. And a little family time too.

JON RAHM: Yeah, exactly.

Q. You talked about your sleep on Wednesday. Did you get a good night's sleep last night?

JON RAHM: No.

Q. What was the difference from today?

JON RAHM: Well, I had to wake up at 5:00, so it wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. Besides that, it was okay. Today should be a really nice afternoon with the family and a good night.

Q. What was the difference today?

JON RAHM: I felt like I had a bit more of a pop in my swing, a little bit better. Yesterday I had a few shots I started left and weren't cutting back. So that's usually signs of me being tired.

I think the main difference -- obviously everything was a little bit better, but I was able to make some of those putts that I didn't make yesterday, and that was the main difference. A lot of putts inside 10 feet that kept the round -- kept me making birdies and making pars.

Q. Was there ever a thought that maybe just take the weekend off?

JON RAHM: What, like throw it?

Q. No, not throw it, but see what happens.

JON RAHM: I don't understand what you mean right now.

Q. You played poorly yesterday, and then you come out today and you're still tired. Why play good?

JON RAHM: It's my job, right? I mean, people -- it's like I said in the press conference. People pay their hard earned money to watch me perform. It's my job to perform. They don't care if I slept good or bad, I feel good or bad. It doesn't matter. As a competitor, I'm not ducking anything in that sense. I'm going to go out and try to shoot low.

Like I said Tuesday or Wednesday, my intention is to try my hardest, and that was it. You know, it helps when I start the way I did. Making that birdie on 11 and keep hitting good shots and hitting birdies, you get in a competitive mode very, very quickly.

Early in the round I had it going and thought I could put myself in a good situation, which I did.

Q. After last week and yesterday, was it nice to play 18 holes without a rain delay?

JON RAHM: Yes. Sunshine, it was great. It felt easy as could be today in that sense.

Q. I saw yesterday, you kind of knew there was a delay yesterday, and it kind of came when I think you were looking over a putt.

JON RAHM: Yeah, I had a par putt of all things, unfortunately. It wasn't at the best time. I was just -- I was laughing because I think they could have called it 30 minutes earlier. We saw lightning, heard thunder all around us for a while. I thought it was a little bit too late in that sense.

I mean, whatever shot I had doesn't really matter.

Q. You were talking about the recovery, getting past last week. Is it more physical or mental as you try to get through it?

JON RAHM: It's both. We did play 30 holes on Sunday on one of the hilliest walks all year. So adrenaline keeps you going so far, and then it's going to take a little bit for the body and mind to recover.

Again, I wish I would have been able to take the week off, but it wasn't the case. And either way, I took Monday and Tuesday off. Like I said, I've been getting slightly better each day.

So hopefully on the weekend I feel like I do normally on a weekend.

Q. What's your schedule after this?

JON RAHM: A week off after, and then I am defending Mexico. So that's so far.

Q. I was going to ask, do you feel like you're back to a normal physical and mental state, or are you still running on adrenaline from last week?

JON RAHM: Reserves were very low Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. I think mentally in that case is quicker to recover right after a win, once you process things a little bit. It makes it easier. Even yesterday was a bit of a hard situation on the golf course just because I'm trying to focus on today, but it's a constant reminder of what I did last week.

So I keep going back and forth having images of what I did last week to what I have to do this week. But today was a lot easier in that sense.