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The story behind the crucial change in putt before the US Open

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Jon Rahm makes a birdie putt on the 18th hole during the final round at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (John Mummert/USGA)
Jon Rahm makes a birdie putt on the 18th hole during the final round at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif. on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (John Mummert/USGA)

Hi everyone, we’re in Scotland now. I have been really excited to start competing in Europe again. I haven’t done it since the Open de España in 2019. A lot of time has gone by since then, and too many things due to the pandemic. The Scottish Open in Renaissance will be my first tournament as US Open champion. I really want to perform well. I know the Open Championship is just around the corner, but we’re taking it week by week. I want to win every tournament I play, and now it’s time to focus on the Scottish Open. I love the links. It’s history, where it all started, tradition. I’ve always said that I would love to win an Open, but let’s take it step by step.

The US Open is behind me now. I will never forget it, but it’s time to reset. I already took care of my unfinished business on my home turf, after what happened at Torrey Pines, and now it’s time to get back into competition mode. I wanted to tell you a story in my blog that I still haven’t shared with anyone, and that I think my fans would find interesting. I’ve been asked a lot about my new putter, which I started to use in the Memorial. Here’s the real story…

When I changed brands of clubs last year, in November, I went to the factory, and I tried 15 or 20 putts with different hosels, heads, weight…Of all the putters I tried, I went with the one that brought back my best memory, who knows, possibly out of nostalgia. I chose the two balls because it’s the one I used all of my life before going pro. I changed the hosel and some other things, and it was going well in the studio. Of course, if you give me enough balls in a studio, it’s always going to turn out well.

I started playing with it, and the first three to four months, I wasn’t as comfortable with the putt as I wanted to be, the ball rarely went where I wanted it to go, but I kept using it because I preferred to blame myself instead of the putt. And it’s not a question of beating myself up, only because I prefer to do everything in my power before blaming the putt. If it’s my fault, the same thing would happen with any putter, so that’s why I chose to press onward.

However, in the PGA Championship, I reached my limit, that’s where I drew the line, enough is enough, I’m sick of missing putts. Right then and there in the PGA, a new putter was on the way in a Callaway truck, the same one I’m using now, and I liked it right off the bat. I told them to send me what they had for after the PGA. Four putters arrived at my house, one of which was this one, and I tested them out on the small green at my house. I started shooting putts, and with this one it was like, wowwww! This one is special, I liked it a lot from what I saw, and how the swing felt. That same day, I went to the course green, and I felt very comfortable.

And there isn’t much more to it. Going into the Memorial tournament, I still had to get rid of some of the bad habits I had picked up, knowing, for example, that I had to start aiming where I wanted the ball to go. The first day, I didn’t putt too well, but I came around on Friday and Saturday, and in the US Open I hit really nice putts. That’s what it was all about, going back to the roots, to the balance and weight of the putter that I needed, and one that I feel the most comfortable with. The conclusion: I wish I had blamed the putt before.