Tee to Green: Getting to know more about Jon Rahm

Since coming in third place in his professional debut in 2016, Jon Rahm has been a mainstay on PGA Tour leaderboards, picking up three wins in the process (not to mention six on the European Tour) and representing Europe on a winning Ryder Cup team in 2018.

The 25-year-old has never been one to stifle his emotions, for better or worse, and his temper has been a talking point for some as he navigates the early stages of his professional golf career. But there’s more than meets the eye with Rahm. To find out more, GOLF.com walked tee to green with the fiery Spaniard. Here are some highlights.

Favorite sport besides golf: Predictably for the Spaniard, Rahm is a big soccer (or should we say, fútbol) fan, but he also enjoys watching tennis when his favorite teams aren’t playing. He’s a big Rafael Nadal supporter, but he has an appreciation for Roger Federer, too.

“It’s hard not to like both,” Rahm said. “They’re so different, with Rafa being so energetic, showing so much emotion on the court. I love watching that. And being Spanish, I relate to him very much. And then you’ve got Fed, who is cool, calm, collected … And then his story of somebody who used to be a hot head, and he completely changed his behavior to become who he is today. It’s always an inspiring story for me, where I know I can change and become somebody more like Rafa, who still shows emotion, but it’s displayed in a much more polite way.”

Best Halloween costume: Believe it or not, Rahm never celebrated Halloween until he went to Arizona State for college, so he has a limited selection of costumes to choose from. As for a favorite, Rahm went with when he dressed up as a baby.

“This is a true story, and I hope you guys don’t find the pictures,” Rahm said. “All I had (on) was diapers and a white T-shirt.”

Subject he would teach: Although Rahm said he isn’t cut out to be an educator, he settled on history for the subject he’d teach.

“It’d be easier to teach,” Rahm said. “For me it’s easier to remember. It’s like telling a story.”

How he spends alone time: As a self-proclaimed Xbox guy, Rahm said he enjoys playing video games during down time. So far, he hasn’t had many friendly competitions with any fellow Tour players, nor has he made any cameos on Bryson DeChambeau’s Twitch stream.

“It’s an easy way to disconnect from everything and just keep my mind busy for a little bit,” Rahm said.

Favorite major championship: Without skipping a beat, Rahm proclaimed his affinity for the Masters and Augusta National and the way it suits his game, but he didn’t shy away from praises for The Open Championship either.

“I do love The Open Championship,” Rahm said. “It’s a little bit different. The atmosphere is different.”

Favorite shot on Tour: Rahm has hit his fair share of noteworthy shots since he made his debut on Tour, but his favorite is one that most people didn’t get to see. On the Sunday of his first Tour win at the Farmers Insurance Open, he hit a fairway bunker shot on No. 13 to 15 feet, setting up an eagle that kickstarted his round.

“It’s a shot that nobody has seen,” Rahm said. “Everybody talks about 18 and things like that, but (the shot on 13) wasn’t on TV. I was only two back of the lead. How about that?”

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