The Untold Truth Of Jon Rahm
Few have made such a swift impact in professional golf as Spanish player Jon Rahm. He was only in his mid-20s in 2020 when he became ranked the number one golfer in the world, becoming only the 24th person and second from Spain ever to reach this top ranking. Rahm explained his rapid success was, in part, due to a focused effort from the very beginning. "I made that deal with myself very young, I believe at 13 or 14 I started working towards that goal, and everything I've done golf-wise has been to become No. 1 in the world and become the best player I can be," he said after winning the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament.
Facing stiff competition, Rahm dropped out of the top spot only to reclaim it back in early 2023. It was a big year for Rahm, who then went on to win the Masters Tournament. As he sank the final putt to win, fans could spot his nickname "Rahmbo" written on the scorecard peeking out of his back pocket. Then, Rahm sent shockwaves around the golf world when he announced his decision to sign with LIV Golf, the professional tour owned by the Public Investment Fund out of Saudi Arabia. "I believe in the growth of the game of golf," he said of joining LIV Golf. It was the next chapter in his personal and professional story that has been filled with emotions, tragedies, and — of course — victories. This is the untold truth of Jon Rahm.
The secret behind Jon Rahm's swing
When watching how far Jon Rahm can hit a golf ball, it's surprising how much power he can generate with an unusually short backswing. It turns out this is a result of a physical issue because Rahm was born with a clubfoot, a birth defect formally called talipes equinovarus that affects the bones and muscles in the leg. On his birthday, doctors "basically relocated, pretty much broke every bone in the ankle and I was casted within 20 minutes of being born from the knee down," he revealed to Golf Digest. Due to the defect, "every week I had to go back to the hospital to get re-casted," Rahm said. "So from knee down, my leg didn't grow at the same rate. So I have very limited ankle mobility in my right leg. It's a centimeter and a half shorter, as well."
As he grew older and Rahm started to play golf, he realized that this limited mobility in his ankle meant he had to take a unique approach to his swinging motion. "I learned at a very young age that I'm going to be more efficient at creating power and be consistent from a short swing," he told ESPN. Rahm explained that while a full swing could clearly generate a quicker club speed, doing so would reduce his overall stability to the point that it would be detrimental to his ankle health. Thus, he found the sweet spot in a modified swing with clearly impressive results.
Jon Rahm made a big move
While growing up in the Basque Country in Spain, Jon Rahm was a carefree boy, according to his father Edorta Rahm. The two would play golf together but outside of this activity, young Jon seemed to mostly enjoy his time at home. "He had his group of school friends, but he didn't go out much and he came home early," Edorta told Andalucía Golf.
As Jon's exceptional talent in golf continued to grow, he started being noticed — not only in his home country but abroad. Tim Mickelson, the younger brother of legendary golfer Phil Mickelson, was the head coach of the Arizona State University golf team when Jon was a teenager in Barrika, Spain. Without even seeing Jon's skills in person, Tim took a chance on the boy and recruited him to play on the university team.
Due to the timing, Jon had to quickly get to work and pass the SATs to be eligible to attend ASU only a few months after Tim first extended the life-changing offer. After moving to America in such a short turnaround and leaving his family behind, Jon found a connection with his teammates and was grateful for the support from the Mickelson brothers. "They've been my family over here," Jon told The Sunday Times. While at ASU, he also found someone who would become his future family: his wife Kelley Cahill. The two met at a Halloween party during their first year at the university.
As an young golfer, Jon Rahm predicted his future
In 2013, while he was still at university, Jon Rahm saw his destiny in the most unusual of places. "Your talents will be recognized and suitability rewarded," read a fortune cookie that he received while eating at Panda Express. Rahm posted a photo of the fortune on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption, "I am gonna win the masters!" He also tagged his coach at ASU, Tim Mickelson, as proof that this dream would come true. Rahm definitely showed promise that this could happen after winning the Ben Hogan Award for being the best college golf player in the nation two years in a row, in 2015 and 2016.
Amazingly, 10 years after his post of the fortune cookie, Rahm was wearing the iconic green jacket and holding the Masters Tournament trophy. Fans were quick to point out his impressive prediction and yet, according to Rahm, this was also news to him. "I don't even remember it," he admitted to Pardon My Take about posting the photo in 2013. "I can't stress enough how far gone from my memory that was. When they showed it to me, I did not believe it was me who posted that," Rahm said. As he recalled, there was a two-week period where Rahm ate lunch every day at Panda Express and he would always look at his fortune cookies. While he said he posted a few others ones too, nothing compares to his spot on Masters prediction.
How Jon Rahm learned English
As he was squaring off against fellow college golfers across the country, Jon Rahm had another hurdle to overcome — understanding the local language. While he took some English lessons before relocating from Spain to the West Coast to attend Arizona State University, Rahm confessed that he wasn't exactly confident with his skills in a second language. One of his teammates, Alberto Sanchez, came from Mexico so Rahm could at least speak Spanish with him.
Still, their coach Tim Mickelson encouraged Rahm to practice his English and came up with an effective motivational tool for him to avoid using his native language. "My coach said that for every word of Spanish that I spoke in front of the team that I had to do a burpee," Rahm told Golf Digest. When the reporter followed up and asked how many total burpees Rahm had to do as punishment, the golfer proudly said, "Not a single one."
To aid in his English education, Rahm also used American rap music, citing both Eminem and Kendrick Lamar as two of his favorite artists. Two specific songs that he says helped with his English were "Swimming Pools" by Lamar and "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem featuring Rihanna. "I liked the music, and it did help with learning slang and how to say certain phrases," Rahm said. According to the golfer, "It's like if you try to learn Spanish by taking classes, having a conversation is much different."
An emotional day for Jon Rahm
After winning the 2023 Masters Tournament, Jon Rahm dealt with a lot of emotions. "Never thought I was going to cry about winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole," Rahm said on the Golf Channel press conference after his victory. According to Rahm, much of the emotion came from "what it means to me and to Spanish golf." As the golfer explained, he kept hearing from the crowd during his final back nine holes to think about Seve Ballesteros, the legendary Spanish golfer whose birthday was that day but died in 2011. After taking home the tournament trophy, Rahm said he dedicated the win to Ballesteros.
The morning after his victory, in the privacy of his own room, Rahm said the tears finally started. "I saw this photoshopped picture of me shaking hands with Seve on the 18th green and it just hit me," Rahm told The Sunday Times. According to the golfer, he credits his entire career path to Ballesteros. "It's because of Seve's charisma and captaincy at the Ryder Cup [in 1997] that my dad took up golf," Rahm revealed. While the golfer explained that golf never made him cry before, the fan photo to pair him with Ballesteros was a notable exception. "If I look at it now, I still well up," Rahm admitted. As of 2023, Rahm and Ballesteros are tied at three for the most victories at the Spanish Open.
Jon Rahm has a famous friend group
As an elite golfer, Jon Rahm became friends with other athletes at the top of their respective games. He is close with NFL tight end Zach Ertz, who tuned in to watch as Rahm started his round at the 2023 Masters Tournament. In a group chat between Rahm, Ertz, and retired NFL defenseman J.J. Watt, Ertz sarcastically wrote about the intimidating course, "First hole green looks like a walk in the park," Rahm told ESPN. According to the golfer, this is only a sample of the kinds of texts the guys share. He explained the athletes talk about competing, of course, but also about their personal lives and families.
The morning after winning the Masters, Rahm said he went into the group chat to proudly show off his green jacket reserved for winners of the golf tournament. "I put it on just to send them one of me being funny in it and then made that the profile picture of the chat," Rahm told GQ.
In addition to the football players, Rahm also became friends with former competitive swimmer Michael Phelps. He told ESPN that it's great to keep an open dialogue because "those are all great athletes that have shown me what it takes to be one of the best athletes in the world." Another top athlete with Rahm's phone number is fellow countryman Rafael Nadal, who left the golfer a congratulatory voice message after he won the Masters.
The pro thinks golf courses are lacking
A reporter once asked what Jon Rahm would do if he could make one change on the PGA Tour. His answer was a simple request to have more toilets — specifically, at least a portable toilet at every hole. "I know it sounds crazy but I can't choose when I have to go to the bathroom," he said at the press conference (via Golf). Rahm explained that he brought this up previously to the commissioner and the chief of competition at the PGA Tour among others.
Beyond simply more places to use the bathroom while playing, Rahm also requested that there should be toilets with climate control. In his experience, "When it's 95 and humid those porta-potties are miserable," Rahm told GQ. While he said the request for extra toilets started somewhat as a joke, in at least one case, the people he spoke with listened, supplying extra facilities at the 2023 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to Rahm, one reason he first brought up the subject was during an embarrassing moment at the fittingly titled Waste Management Phoenix Open. Video shows a security guard standing watch as Rahm had to use one of a line of portable toilets there for spectators. "I get out of the bathroom and a thousand people are cheering and I have to navigate the crowd to get back to play. That's part of my reasoning. Protect the players to play the game," Rahm said.
The big bets on Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm was once the number one amateur golfer in the world for an incredible 60 weeks. Even with high expectations to go pro, one fellow golfer was certain that Rahm would be a star in no time. While waiting out a weather delay during the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic, Phil Mickelson believed in Rahm so much that he placed a bet that within 12 months of being on the pro golf tour, Rahm would already be ranked in the top 10.
Professional golfer Colt Knost hadn't heard about Rahm and felt confident that Michelson was exaggerating. "He has no status on the PGA Tour. If he has to play the Korn Ferry Tour, he has no chance," Knost remembered thinking as he told Action Network. Knost struck a deal with Mickelson and explained that many people were on his side when he told them about the bet but in the end, Rahm broke into the top ten in under a year. Knost admitted defeat and had to pay an amount that he said was into four figures. "Let's just say it hurt me more than it helped Phil," Knost said.
Placing wagers on Rahm happens in all sorts of forms, even to his face. "Somebody told me that they put ten grand on me to win the U.S. Open at 12-1 odds when I won," he told GQ. About the small wagers he often sees, Rahm said, "It's fun. I don't blame them.
Jon Rahm changed on tour
On a golf course, Jon Rahm became known as much for his skill with clubs as his occasional outbursts and offensive language while playing. While passionate about his sport, Rahm also realized he needed to work to control his ire. "I think a lot of people used to only see a player that got angry," Rahm confessed to The Sunday Times. "I was a 21-year-old in the top ten, and it was a level of stardom you don't usually get. It took a lot of learning on my part, no doubt, and that manifested itself on the golf course."
It was a big life moment — becoming a father for the first time — that changed the trajectory for Rahm. According to the golfer, fatherhood made him a more mature man and as a result, he entered the 2023 Masters Tournament in better control of his temper and was able to walk away victorious.
Looking deeper into the reasons for his emotional flare-ups, Rahm confessed that he is deeply competitive at his core and loves to win. "So I'm very demanding, and with that, the emotion just comes out of me. But a lot of it was immaturity, too," he told Golf Digest about his earlier days as a pro. As Rahm discovered, he could be self-critical but had to remain polite towards his competitors, so, "every time someone beats me, I'll try to say something kind to them, because that's how it should be."
Jon Rahm never met one of his idols
Though basketball and golf are about as different as possible in terms of sports, Jon Rahm looked up to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant for inspiration. While a student-athlete at Arizona State University, Rahm first began to admire Bryant for his skills and work ethic. "The way he approached his lifestyle and his craft really spoke to me. I really took a lot of information on how to do what I have to do, and what I want to do," Rahm explained on ESPN (via Golf).
In 2020, when Rahm was in California playing at the Torrey Pines Golf Course he recalled the moment when "my wife Kelley came into scoring to let me know that Kobe had passed. What people don't know is that I had a meeting arranged with Kobe two days after that Sunday. On Tuesday, I was going to go meet him at Orange County," Rahm revealed. As the golfer explained, he wanted to learn secrets from Bryant on how he performs so well, but even more, to learn tips from one dad to another. "I honestly wanted to ask Kobe, how the heck did he practice the way he did and still have the impact he had as a father, with his daughters?" Rahm said. According to Rahm, he also asked a similar question to Tiger Woods but Woods' response of saying he didn't sleep seemed like an infeasible approach to Rahm.
The charitable side of Jon Rahm
By now, it should be clear that Jon Rahm is an impressive force on a golf course, but he also is impressive in his philanthropic efforts. In 2021, Rahm was ranked number one in the world and signed a U.S. Open flag that he donated to the Kisner Foundation for a charity auction. The foundation is one of several children's charities with which Rahm has been involved. As part of the winning team at the 2020 Memorial Tournament, Rahm helped support the NICU at the Nationwide Children's Hospital.
The pro golfer also lent his support in his home country of Spain at the Niño Jesus Hospital in Madrid. Rahm helped finance a dedicated golf area in an outdoor recreational space at the hospital. He was on hand to help inaugurate the space and meet some of the children who could use the garden. "It was an incredible moment. It was an honor to be there and be a part of the opening," Rahm told the DP World Tour. "[The patients] are always the happiest kids I know. It puts our problems very much in perspective and it was truly special to be a part of it."
Rahm continued his worldwide support by helping the Mexican Red Cross Association after devastating earthquakes in the country in 2018. While playing in the World Golf Championship in Mexico, he pledged to donate $1,000 per birdie and $3,000 every time he scored an eagle at the championship.
The Jon Rahm mentality
Knowing there is more needed than raw talent to perform as a professional athlete, Jon Rahm sought help to improve his mental game. He hired a personal coach named Joseba del Carmen who was a former college basketball player in Spain as well as a golf instructor. Most interestingly, Carmen was also an expert at disposing of bombs, though he admitted that working with the golfer was oftentimes a more stressful job. "I feel more pressure when Jon is playing than disarming bombs! I can see moments where Jon is suffering and worry about him," Carmen explained to SunSport.
With his varied experiences, Carmen said he helped Rahm better manage his emotions while still understanding that these same emotions in the golfer were also partly responsible for his success on the pro tour. "The more you contain it the more damage you cause. You have to leave an escape valve and release it," Carmen told El País (via Olympics) about emotion.
Rahm also started seeing a sports psychiatrist named Dr. Bhrett McCabe. After Rahm won the U.S. Open, he invited McCabe to his party to celebrate and also asked the doctor for advice on what to do next. The psychiatrist simply told the golfer to get back to work. Also at the party was Michael Phelps and when Rahm told the Olympian about his doctor's response, Phelps was completely in agreement. "Exactly! You're not going to be happy for long," McCabe recalled to Golf regarding Phelps' response.
He's an all-around athlete
Before scoring birdies and sinking putts, Jon Rahm started his childhood by taking kung fu. While growing up in Spain, he became inspired by watching his mom take tai chi lessons. Rahm recalled getting into fights when he was younger, so his mom encouraged him to pick up martial arts and learn self-defense. In the end, he picked up many valuable lessons from the practice, which continued into his career later in life. "Learning kung fu helped, and from that, I learned all the aspects of martial arts. But mostly it's about trying to be respectful to people, and that carries over to golf," he told Golf Digest.
Rahm started playing tennis later in life after his wife Kelley Cahill introduced him to the game. Fortunately, the sport came easily to the golfer who used to play other racket and paddle games in his younger days. As a kid, Rahm played Basque pelota, a racket sport from his region in Spain. The sport is a mixture of racquetball and jai alai and was even a demonstration sport at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Rahm never told Cahill he used to play. "She came away impressed ... and maybe a little mad for a day or two," he said of her reaction when he was good at tennis right from the start. "She was someone who thought golfers aren't athletes, so she assumed I couldn't do anything else, really."
Life for Jon Rahm as a dad
Jon Rahm and his wife Kelley Cahill had their first child together, a son named Kepa Cahill Rahm, in April 2021. After the baby's birth, Rahm posted a photo of his new family and wrote in the caption, "Without a doubt the greatest day of my life!"
A few days after Kepa came into the world, Rahm was right back on the golf course as a participant in the Masters Tournament, where he tied for 5th place. It was only about two months later when Rahm won the U.S. Open with his wife and son there to celebrate the victory. "To win my first major on my first Father's Day, at a place that means so much to me like Torrey, is simply unbelievable. If this is a dream, I still haven't woken up yet," he wrote on an Instagram post with a photo of him holding the trophy in one hand while kissing his newborn.
After following up his U.S. Open win by playing in the Ryder's Cup, Rahm had finally reached a point where he had to choose between spending time at home versus time on the golf course. Ultimately, he decided to take some months off from the tour. "I needed a break. Not only for me but also for my family. We all endured it together and I just wanted the time to be a dad and be a husband and just be there for my wife and my son," he told NBC Sports.
A lavish life for Jon Rahm
For a player who has reached the top of the golfing world in rankings, it's no surprise that Jon Rahm has enjoyed some of the perks that come with winning, including big paychecks. For example, he bought a million-dollar home in Arizona and bought his first car — a red Porsche — in 2016 after officially going pro in golf. "I'm not sure how much my parents like it," he said of his luxury purchase on the Golf Digest podcast.
Yet, as he explained it, the car was way more than just a status symbol. "It's good for me to see it, wake up every day and see what I've accomplished the last eight years," he explained. As his success continued, Rahm expanded his car collection with a Mercedes AMG G 63 SUV, which typically cost well into six figures. The maroon paint also perfectly matched the color of his alma mater Arizona State. The golfer was then sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, which he loved even more as a self-professed motorhead. "I'm 23. You kind of need to be a car guy when you're 23," he told Golf.
Rahm also has the money to be a car guy. In 2023, he had already earned about $45 million in winnings from his professional golf career. This put him at number 15 on the list of lifetime earners on the PGA Tour. This doesn't even include the 16 million euros he won on the European DP World Tour.