TRONE, Scotland: John Rahm felt like one of the most popular players when he arrived at Royal Troon, even if it had nothing to do with him or his golf.
At the moment, Spain is in a very difficult situation. Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon for his second Grand Slam title of the year on Sunday, just before Spain defeated England in the European Championship final. It was the latter that made Scottish fans celebrate the Spaniard.
Nobody in these parts likes to see England win anything.
“Got all 18 holes and I think I got more compliments for something I didn't do than I ever have in my life,” Rahm said Tuesday. “I don't know what they've done, but every time someone plays against England, all the other countries in Europe just gang up against them.
“I think because we've heard 'It's Coming Home' so many times over the last few years, nobody wants to see it come home at this point.”
Throw in Sergio Garcia's victory in his first LIV golf event at Valderrama and Ram would only like to extend Spain's winning streak.
More often than not, you need it for yourself.
The major championship season ends with the British Open and Ram is a no-show. He was the reigning Masters champion when he retired from LIV Golf last December and is still undefeated. His last win was at the Masters about 15 months ago.
He barely made it to the Masters. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship. And he didn't even play in the US Open because of a foot infection.
“Last year, starting at the Masters, I didn't play my best,” Ram said. “The Ryder Cup was the only similarity, maybe, of the start of the year. But last week in Nashville (LIV events) I felt closer to getting to a higher level of golf where maybe not as much thinking about my process. Maybe I'm playing a little more loosely and seeing the ball flight that I want to see more often.
“I'm getting closer to what it might have been at the beginning of last year.”
A foot infection just before the US Open capped off a disappointing year. Rahm had hoped to play Pinehurst No. 2 until he saw a specialist, who numbed his leg and inserted a swab into the infection to clean it out.
“Pretty much when I saw it coming, I was like, 'OK, I'm not playing the Open,'” Rahm said. “Once I came to terms with not being able to play, I think it was really nice. I think I enjoyed watching some of the best players in the world compete as much as anyone else.”
He can relate to the struggles these days, especially in the majors.
Rahm hopes he's fixed some of the issues with his driver by getting a new shaft, which he says has allowed him to swing more freely. It was at Valhalla at the PGA Championship that he realized he needed a change.
A foot injury was a setback but he battled on at the next LIV event and then finished 10th in Valderrama last week. He has top-10 finishes in every LIV event he's played in, with the exception of Houston, when he pulled out with a foot injury.
Again, LIV has the same 54 players each week, and only the top half will be considered among the game's elite. Going a year without a win can be frustrating, let alone the last 15 months.
Now it's down to Royal Troon, a course that usually plays easy on the way out and turns into a beast — and wind — on the way back.
Rahm had only planned to play nine holes on Monday, but the weather was probably as beautiful as it would be all week, and he wanted to enjoy it. Wind or calm, rain or shine, it's avoiding pot bunkers and gorse bushes that are key to this British Open.
And golf gets a little hazy after this week. He still has the LIV calendar to finish, but Ram said his wife's pregnancy with their third child is not going well and she is on bed rest. He doesn't know if he'll be able to play at the Spanish Open this fall.
And it's not until next April that Rahm gets the chance to compete with the likes of Scotty Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schaufele. The best players now come together only four times a year at the majors.
“It's a decision I made,” he said of joining LIV. “Hopefully at some point golf can sort itself out and we'll have a chance to play against each other more often.”
