“He needs to work on everything” – Jon Rahm dissects crowd-puller J.J. Watt’s game at the WM Phoenix Open
Jon Rahm is paired up with NFL legend J.J. Watt at the ongoing WM Phoenix Open Pro-Am. The star-studded field featured top-rated golfers playing alongside celebrities.
Watt, who recently announced his retirement, grabbed major attention on the greens on Wednesday (February 8) during a practice match. The crowd chanted "J.J." whenever and wherever, as they were happy to see their favorite star on the field.
Jon Rahm had a lot of fun playing alongside Watt on Wednesday and it was amazing to see both stars playing together as well. They both live in Scottsdale and share a strong bond. Rahm, one of this week's betting favorites, offered an ideal start.
🏼WM Pro-Am recap…
Thank you to all the fans today.
The support was truly incredible and I appreciate you all.
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Speaking about J.J. Watt, the world No. 3 golfer said:
"He needs to work on everything a little bit, obviously. But just the fact that he can play golf consistently (in retirement) is gonna take care of that. He actually is a very underrated putter once he gets the speed of the greens. He’s a good putter. It’s just the mental aspect of things in golf, trial and error, that he needs to improve a little bit.”
Rahm gave him simple advice to Watt during the warm-up before the tournament starts.
"I told him to at least chip and putt to get the touch going … Whether he listens or not is different.”
The WM Phoenix Open will conclude with the finale on Sunday, February 12.
“I’ve been one of those kids”- Jon Rahm opens up about his childhood memory
Rahm had a sweet moment on the greens with his friend Watt as the pair posed with each other's in-game attire on the course. Rahm held a white Watt Cardinals jersey, while JJ Watt opted for a pink golf polo.
“I’ve been fortunate to play with a friend a couple years in a row,” the Spaniard said. “It makes it a lot more fun because I can kind of be myself earlier in the day and the rest of the (amateurs) that have never met me and that I’ve never met get to know the real me very quickly just by my interactions with them. So it makes it a lot more fun.”
The two then took pictures with their fans and gave them autographs. Jon Rahm remembered a memory from his childhood when he took a photo with Henrik Stenson and got his autograph on his red T-shirt.
“I’ve been one of those kids,” Jon Rahm said. “And you never know when one of them — two seconds of my time makes a difference in their day. I see myself in them and it takes no time. But you still need boundaries. I don’t do it when I’m practicing on the course because I need the time so it’s a little bit different. But yeah, they’re here watching, they’re just kids. So if I can do a little bit of that to make their day, I’ll do it.”
Noticeably, on Wednesday, Michael Phelps won the Whoop competition at the WM Phoenix Open.