“I’ll try to channel my inner Seve”: Jon Rahm has his sights set on winning the Ryder Cup after T2 finish at the Open
The World No. 3 Jon Rahm ended his Open Championship 2023 campaign in the T2 position on the leaderboard. But his dedication to winning the Ryder Cup for the European team in September has not decreased a bit.
Rahm, who is a two-time major champion, will surely be a key member of the European team in the upcoming biennial event in Rome. Speaking about his presence on the team, he shared that he will try to be a role model if the team wants him to be.
He added that he will try to bring out his inner 'Seve Ballesteros' and try to do whatever that could help his team. As quoted by The Irish News, Rahm said,
"It's not like I have five or six (appearances) like some others did, but it's two. If they want me to be a role model on the team or a leader, I will be. I'm not the most vocal. I'm quite introverted myself, but I'll do what I can. I'll try to channel my inner Seve [Ballesteros] and do what I can do."
Seve Ballesteros played an integral part on the European team during his playing days. He waa a part of eight Ryder Cup-winning teams. He was also a non-playing captain in the 1997 European team that won the event.
"Everybody wants to rectify" - Jon Rahm wants redemption for the last Ryder Cup lost from 2021
The European team has a slightly upper hand in the Ryder Cup since first participating in 1979. They have won 11 out of their 21 appearances in the biennial event. Whereas, the US team won only nine editions against them.
But the last time when the two teams faced each other, it was the US team that registered its 27th win in Ryder Cup history.
Addressing the last time defeat, Jon Rahm added that, despite new faces on the team, everyone would look to win the upcoming event in Rome. He said,
"I'm not going to lie. I love the Ryder Cup. I know we're going to have a lot of new faces on the team and everybody wants to rectify what happened two years ago."
Jon Rahm feels that the European players had a pretty amazing year till now. But he added that, since the Ryder Cup has 18-hole matches, it totally depends on how someone performs on a particular day.
The Masters 2023 Champion also mentioned how the US team's accolades have always been praised. He also emphasized that their opponents have a pretty good team. But he feels it will be an exciting contest on the match day.
In the end, Jon Rahm praised the European team captain Luke Donald and was hopeful of the latter leading the team with his guidance. He said,
"With Luke's guidance, we're going to have a really strong team, and I'm looking forward to it, and we should have a really good chance of getting that cup back and defending home turf."
Jon Rahm has been part of two European Ryder Cup teams now in his career. In his debut in 2018, he won the prestigious biennial event with his team.