“You want to beat the best” – Jon Rahm positive about taking on stacked field at The American Express
Jon Rahm carried his 2022 form into the new year and won the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Now, the golfer has come out to reveal that he plans to carry the same form forward in the coming weeks.
Rahm, who is one of five players in the top seven ranked players on The American Express field, has said that he looks forward to playing the best. The Spaniard opened up on the stacked field at the event and said that he was “glad” more players were attending more events. The golfer revealed that he wishes to “beat the best.”
Speaking ahead of The American Express, Jon Rahm said:
“You want to beat the best… And I’m glad people are coming. It’s good that more players are trying more events.”
It is pertinent to note that the World No. 4 player’s excitement is justified. According to the PGA Tour, the 2023 American Express field is the strongest yet in this century. The field, which features World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, No. 5 Patrick Cantlay, No. 6 Xander Schauffele, and No. 7 Will Zalatoris, looks like strong competition for any golfer in the world.
For Jon Rahm, this week’s event is not just about golf but also about getting back to great weather. Coming on the backs of having played in Hawaii, the Spaniard dubbed the conditions at La Quinta as being “normal circumstances.”
He said:
“You might get more or less wind on some days, but the golf courses are usually in absolute perfect condition. So you can basically make sure all your new equipment is proper. Make sure if you’ve been working on some changes in your swing you’re testing it under pressure with some easier conditions. So I think it’s a great tune-up for what the rest of the year could be.”
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Jon Rahm on the new and increased events schedule
The Tournament of Champions winner went on to state that scheduling the newly designed events hasn’t been a problem for him. Unlike several other golfers, the Spaniard seemed fine with the increased events list.
Speaking about the new schedule, Rahm said:
“How do I say it? In the past, we’ve had a lot of freedom on what we wanted to play. And we still do. The only reason for us to want to play all of this is the PIP reward, let’s be honest. And the fact that they’re bigger events and bigger purses. We all want that.
"I chose to play only once in the fall so now I need to play 19 events this year. I’m playing all these elevated ones, I had to add two more. So it was a very simple way to decide. I think I’m going to get it done by playing here and Torrey Pines. Which, to think of Torrey Pines as a lesser event to me is mind-blowing.”
While lauding The American Express field, Jon Rahm also went on to state that more top players needed to attend the PGA Tour’s ‘elevated events'.