(Reuters) – Jon Rahm is in the midst of an incredible stretch of dominance but the Spaniard said on Tuesday that his game is not yet firing on all cylinders ahead of this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida.
Rahm earned his 10th career PGA Tour victory and third of the season in his most recent start, which returned him to world number one and made him the first player since Johnny Miller in 1975 to win three times in a calendar year before March 1.
But despite the torrid run, the 28-year-old Rahm does not feel he played his absolute best across all four tournament days of those victories at Kapalua, La Quinta and Riviera.
“There’s weeks where you think, ‘Oh, this part of my game is great, this other part was amazing.’ But for every part of your game to be a hundred percent all four days, yeah, that’s nearly impossible to happen,” Rahm told reporters at Bay Hill.
Rahm said winning without playing one’s best is not uncommon and that Tiger Woods once told him that of his 82 PGA Tour wins, only three came when every facet of his game was at its best for all four tournament rounds.
According to Rahm, the best golf he ever played came at the 2021 Memorial Tournament where he was cruising to victory with a six-shot lead after 54 holes before being forced to withdraw because of a positive COVID-19 test.
“The one time I can say I was firing on all cylinders I didn’t get to finish the tournament. So I would have wished to see what that was like,” said Rahm.
“A lot of us are such perfectionists that I think we play close to that A-plus game a lot, but we don’t give ourselves that, quite that grade for all four days.
“…That’s why probably Tiger said maybe just a few times in his career.”
Rahm, who finished in a share of 17th last year at Bay Hill while struggling on the greens, headlines a stacked field this week featuring 43 of the top 50 players in the world rankings.
For Rahm, this week will mark only his second start at Bay Hill but the 2021 U.S. Open champion called it a ball-striker’s course and feels confident that he understands how best to attack the layout.
“For the most part, you want to miss right off the tee because that’s always going to give you the better chance going into the greens. A lot of the hazards are on left,” said Rahm.
“So very encouraged knowing that if I could keep my ball striking at the level that I know I can and have a decent week on the greens, I’ll have a chance.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
