“The excitement they feel...” - Jon Rahm opens up about life after winning The Masters 2023
Before capturing the 2023 Masters, Jon Rahm had won three events this year and 10 PGA Tour titles in his career, but he never experienced such excitement from fans. He said that he had heard from other players that things changed after winning at Augusta National and that it was only now that he was experiencing it.
Rahm was quoted as saying by Golf Digest:
“The excitement they feel once they see you and how badly they want a picture or an autograph is significantly higher than it was before. I've never had as many people watching me in the [RBC] pro-am apart from the Phoenix Open.”
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is an exception as Rahm is an Arizona state alumnus.
For Rahm, a visit to Butler Cabin after his win at ANGC was very memorable. He spoke at a pre-tournament conference at the 2023 RBC Heritage.
"They took me to the top of Butler Cabin, where my whole family was there, and we had a drink and took a few pictures and relaxed. It was a very enjoyable 20 minutes in such a special cabin, just by ourselves for a little bit.”
Two years back, the Spaniard won his first major after hitting a birdie on the final hole at the 2021 US Open. He was asked how different The Masters tournament win was compared to the first Major.
"In the U.S. Open, I was never on the lead until the 71st hole. Well, until I was on the tee 72nd hole," the Spaniard told reporters. "And then made that birdie to win and had to wait. This time I was fighting the entire Championship to win, and then once I took the lead on six, I never gave it up. So, to be able to walk that 18th hole after hitting the third shot and knowing that it's done is very special."
"It did cross my mind" - Jon Rahm on if he thought of skipping RBC Heritage after the 2023 Masters triumph
Jon Rahm will be the first Masters champion in seven years to compete at the RBC Heritage, which is scheduled immediately after Augusta National week. Since Jordan Spieth in 2015, no Masters champion has played at Harbour Town Golf Links.
The World No. 1 stated that he thought of skipping the event and he discussed it with his wife as well.
He said:
"It did cross my mind, you know, I made a commitment earlier in the year, and I want to honor that commitment. Right? I also, you know, talking to Kelly, I put myself on the shoes and not mainly The Spectators, but the kids as well, right? If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play good or bad. Yeah, just want to be there."
The 2023 RBC Heritage is the sixth designated event of 2022 and has a purse size of 20 million with every top golfer featuring at the Harbour Town Golf Links.