Jon Rahm’s coach reveals which 2022 major venue sets up best for him

World No. 1 Jon Rahm already has one major championship under his belt: the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

The win was the highlight of a fantastic year for Rahm. He finished in the top 10 a whopping 15 times last season, including top-8 finishes in the year’s other three majors.

It goes without saying that Rahm will continue to be a favorite at each of this year’s major championships too, starting with the Masters at Augusta, then the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, the U.S. Open at the Country Club at Brookline, and finally the Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews.

But which of the year’s major venues suits Rahm’s game best? On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Rahm’s longtime coach, Dave Phillips, offered his take on each one.

“I think Jon’s iron game is getting really good. We’re really working hard on distance control, and that’s the key at Augusta,” Phillips said. “You don’t have to drive it exceptionally accurately at Augusta because there’s really no rough to speak of most of the times. But you have to put yourself in a position off the tee, which, there’s no problem for him, he can do that. It’s really the quality of the irons. He strikes the irons really well. We just need to get a little bit better at hitting our spots and then just let it happen and not try any harder. He knows how to play that golf course.

Instruction

“He’s been close. He hasn’t played it much, he’s only 26, so it’s not like he’s been out there as long as some of these guys are, so it’s a learning process every time you go out,” Phillips continued. “I think that it sets up beautifully for Jon. That’s a golf course that has so much — there’s so much there. I think every player that tees it up would just love to win Augusta. He definitely would, and I think he can do it. I really do.”

Southern Hills is another “big” golf course that Phillips says sets up beautifully for Rahm, but he did caution that the weather could be a major factor.

At Brookline, Phillips says he’ll be looking at both Rahm and Brooks Koepka as favorites.

“Another big golf course,” Phillips said. “I expect the rough to be thick, lush. You gotta golf your golf ball there. Those two guys can do that.”

The Old Course at St. Andrews is a grand finale to the major season, and a venue where everyone wants to win. The weather will be a huge factor, Phillips said, making a favorite tough to predict.

In the event there is weather, “You can get on the bad side of the draw and be messed up there,” he said.

Rahm posted his best Open Championship finish — T3 — at Royal St. George’s last year.

For more from Phillips, including what Rahm learned from Phil Mickelson, and the No. 1 thing amateurs should take away from Rahm’s swing, check out the full interview below.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

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