Jon Rahm explains why he didn't WD from RBC Heritage 2023 tournament
Following the Masters, Jon Rahm is set to play in the RBC Heritage. The event is scheduled right after the major tournament, which is why some stars have opted out.
Jason Day is not playing, nor is Rory McIlroy after missing the cut with a +5 at Augusta National.
Despite winning and probably needing to come down and experience his victory, Rahm has elected to stay in the RBC Heritage field.
Jon Rahm on why he didn’t WD from RBC Heritage:
“I made a commitment earlier in the year and I want to honor that commitment…I put myself in the shoes of not only the spectators, but the kids. If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters Champion play.”
👏
He admitted what he felt about the tournament (via Yahoo! Sports):
“It did cross my mind, but I made a commitment earlier in the year and I want to honour that commitment."
He added that the audience was why he intended to stay in the field:
“Talking to Kelley (his wife), I put myself in the shoes of not only the spectators, but the kids as well. If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play good or bad, just want to be there."
For better or worse, people want to see Jon Rahm in the RBC Heritage. He's going to give them what they want.
Jon Rahm on resting after Masters and continuing to play in next event
As he was so tired, Jon Rahm said he understood why people were withdrawing, even if he wasn't going to:
“I still intend to hopefully do the jacket double and take this one home. But it did cross my mind (to withdraw) and obviously I think it would have crossed anybody’s because I was so tired."
Rahm also admitted that he was exhausted following his victory (via Yahoo! Sports):
“I was not very useful in any sense and I tried to be a dad as much as possible. We stayed one more day in Augusta and just tried to relax, had a family day and yesterday we flew here."
He continued:
“(It was) not the celebrating some people might think I’ll be doing. That will take part next week. It was a very demanding week, a lot going on with the weather and a lot of fighting and a lot of work mentally obviously. So it’s going to take a little bit to get to a good spot, but I’m feeling good.”
His performance may suffer as a result of not taking any time off, but he's going to stick to his commitment:
“But that’s why I decided to come in yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon and take it easier and just give my body a rest before I got into competition mode. I can promise you that every time I tee it up in a tournament, it’s going to be to win. I intend to try my hardest to win."
He continued:
“But I think it’s going to be opposite to most tournaments. I feel like I’m going to be feeling better every day. So I think it could be a little challenging early on, but if I can get through the first two days, I think on the weekend I’ll feel back to normal.”
The RBC Heritage kicks off on April 13, so Jon Rahm has just one more day to rest before he gets back at it in the next event.