Jon Rahm assures that he felt almost as if he was playing at home in his debut at Mayakoba because of the music and the atmosphere. That is, in short, what LIV Golf conveys, that feeling that everything is more relaxed, that everything matters a little less… or almost nothing. He felt comfortable on the course, played good golf and regretted finishing with two bogeys, especially the one on the 17th, which hurt the most. He admits that he was aware of what his teammates were doing and trusts that they will play better over the weekend.
The music at LIV Golf tournaments… “Yes, it’s definitely a slightly different atmosphere, but I quite like the music. It’s not very different from how we play at home. Many of us, especially the people I play with, have golf carts with very powerful speakers. In any case, it was low compared to what I’m used to.”
The first impressions after the debut… “It was great. Plus, I played with two of the nicest people. Talor and Cam are extremely nice. On top of that, it was a very good round… a shame about the last two holes. I think one of those bogeys, the 17th, was avoidable. The 18th was unfortunate. But that doesn’t take away from how well I played the first 16 holes. So far I would say it has been a very satisfying start.”
The pulse on the tee of hole 1… “Yes, I felt the pressure, but it’s a good thing. It’s strange; you can choose a song for the first tee and I thought maybe it would help. However, my pulse went up just by hearing a song that you like. I was confident, but with the added pressure of one of my favourite songs playing. In the end, I think it helped because I hit a great tee shot to start.”
Assessment of the game in his debut… “I think it’s almost impossible to be one hundred percent sure of how you’re going to play. But I always trust that I can perform well. The key for me was how I hit the tee shots on holes 1 and 2. They were two perfect shots and gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the day.”
The desire to play golf again… “It was nice to compete and do what I’m supposed to do, go out and play golf. Today I felt more normal. It’s time to work.”
About Niemann’s -12 round… “I didn’t look at the scoreboard at the beginning, but when I saw that I was five under after seven holes and was third, I thought someone was doing very well. On the 12th I saw he was nine under par. It was impressive, of course. There are birdies, but you have to play very good golf. He did.”
He didn’t expect such a low round at Mayakoba… “I imagined an eight or nine under, but I would have bet a lot of money against a 59 here this week because of how narrow the fairways are. There were some really good shots that didn’t end up on the fairway and then it’s a toss-up in the rough. I don’t know what his stats were, but he must have hit fairways or made a lot of putts. Whatever it was, it’s an incredible round.”
Jon’s calculations to be able to win the tournament… “Joaco played a historic round of golf, but he still needs two more rounds. Obviously, we’re going to have to get close to twenty under par to win and it’s feasible. I played a very good round today. If I had finished a little better, it would have been a great round. I think if the wind doesn’t pick up, we’re going to have to get close to a 20-under, which again is feasible. The greens are very good and if you can put the ball on the fairway, you can give yourself opportunities. Today I felt very good from the tee.”
The team competition… “It’s funny, in the first few holes I was more interested in how the team was doing than in myself, something new. I think Cam caught me looking and told me: it’s crazy how you can worry more about the team than about yourself. It hasn’t been their best start, but they still have two days to show what they’re made of. Although it’s still early, we have a player who has just turned professional and Kieran, who is now here full time. A slightly difficult start was to be expected. But I think at some point they’re going to surprise. Maybe not Tyrrell because he’s done it many times, but those two guys can play a level of golf that many people haven’t seen.”
