INTERVIEW: “Not Much Wrong” With Rahm’s Bogey-Free 62 | LIV Golf Jeddah

LIV Golf captains Jon Rahm (62) and Joaquin Niemann (63) talk about their first rounds at LIV Golf Jeddah that have them sitting pretty heading into the weekend at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.

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All right welcome to John Ram captain of Legion GC and Walkin new captain of toi GC congratulations guys great rounds today is this on I hear you yeah um John 8 under 62 to start the week round one tied one tell us about your round today really really really good day um

Drove it great drove it really good besides maybe one t-shot and even then I ended up in a good spot on 12 uh anytime you shoot a boogie free 62 that there’s not much that goes wrong right uh put on the right spot and give myself the opportunities um the key the

Key for that low of a score was was three lengthy puts that I made um long one on five on six long one on 16 and uh maybe mid-range too long on on that last hole on the second to to finish the day right so um you know do that obviously improved

This SC a little bit but overall was really good um inside 10 ft uh made pretty much every part I looked at so that’s always going to be going to be good so hopefully I can just keep playing as as good as I have and uh keep

Rolling it in most of the guys talk about how many times they played this course I think it’s your first competitive round around here how did you find it out there like everything there’s going to be a few spots where you know when you’ve played a couple more times a

Couple breaks or situations right win differences you’re going to have more experience on but it’s not a golf course that is very tricky teer green like it’s very much in front of you right you know where to have to go and uh you just have to hit good shots

So I feel like uh my record when I’m playing tournaments for the first time has been pretty good for some reason I don’t know sometimes not KN when is is a bling well and wacko another great round for you your good form continues 637 underpar in second place tell us about

Your round today yeah it was a a good day uh since the start I I hit the ball great uh gave myself a lot of chances made a few good PS too and yeah I mean I think I couldn’t make probably two shot Less on the last two holes but yeah I’m

Still still a really good round I had a lot of fun playing with John and Phil so yeah this course it’s I mean it’s it’s always fun to play I’ve been probably coming this is probably my fifth time here and I always have a good time playing with this weather well when it’s

Not too hot with this wind today I wanted to say with this win with the win it’s fun to play it’s a good setup it’s a good course and you got a hit good jot so it’s it’s a lot of fun to play in here nice I’ll hand over to

Mike wo obviously the last month has been pretty good for you you won you got the Masters invite what what’s it kind of been like the last month for you how would just sum it up keeping up the good form that type of thing obviously in a

Very good frame of mind right now yeah I think it’s been good but I I mean I just been focusing of what I have to do better and and I think if I just keep doing that then just good things going to come from that so I think I’m a

Believer that if you you do things right good things are coming your way so I just want to keep doing the same uh I mean this is what I love to do and come here play tournaments have a chance to win it’s always it’s always fun so I

Just been enjoying this moment and it’s been great to get into into the Masters uh yeah I think is I’m just super excited for that and John can you just talk about the group that you guys had did you kind of feel like you fed off each other and obviously you and Phil

Are are close so just the the overall Vibe today with the group yeah I think I mean where we 19 under us a group um yeah I mean when you you Senor playing competitors playing Partners hit good shots after good shots and you know even if you’re going on part Theses or on

Holes where in similar situation you see them go first and hit good shots it’s always going to feed into the rest of the group right and you keep seeing the ball go in so I feel like it’s such a positive Vive that uh yeah I mean it

Shows it makes you it makes you play a little bit better plus you know W is great to player with and Phil and I have played so many golf rounds together and being with Tim again on on the golf course was was a lot of fun so you know

Could say there was a lot a lot going for me today to to possibly have a good round all right thanks Ben gol LS United for you first uh wacko it’s it’s a great set of stats you’re first in Greens in regulation and second in driving that that transfers to any

Course in the world but obviously you’ve played it before on a setup how are you approaching the course knowing you’re driving so well and your iron play is so good is it just something you can Alo automatically just get into the round yeah I think I I’ve been really

Good lately with my driver and I think it’s just building Confidence from it and yeah I mean I like being aggressive of the tea and and and I think there is a lot of holes here where if you hit the Fairway and you’re down there uh you’re

Going to have a better chance to make bires so I’m kind of going that way takeing advantage of that a little bit and and yeah this is one of the courses that I played a few times I know the lines I know where the where the good

Misses are so I yeah I mean I feel pretty good out the tea on most of the Halles here and a second question for you was about the wind today so all week it’s been on the Range wind off the left and then it just changed a little bit

Early on and started to swirl around how much more difficult is it when that wind just moves a little bit here cuz it’s so traditionally off off the West off the see so how do you approach that with that with the wind being slightly different for the first couple hours

Yeah normally is coming from the North or I mean West Northwest yeah and yeah we started with the opposite win almost today and probably for four or five holes it was the opposite and then he went back to normal and yeah I mean I think I I never seen it like that I

Think he’s always really consistent in the same direction and yeah I I’m you can adjust a little bit but the course is still there you know he still got to hit the shots and it doesn’t change much thank you John who was happier on 16 you or Phil because

The way you celebrated it together when when when when Phil was put that in it was it was amazing it looked like you’re playing a team event together no no so I I felt horrible on the te cuz obviously he’s happy to make a three right and

Then he he h such a good quality shot in there I mean I think all of us were surprised to the inter turn in a couple more more yards but we saw it land I gave it the the courtesy second or two and then I said good shout

Phil and the next time I look up balls going down off the green right and uh spend the entire hole walking up to to the green next to him thinking do I say anything do I say right now so when he chipped in I told him man thank God and

Uh and I told him exactly what happened and that’s where we were laughing um it was more about that right my mistake luckily he didn’t hear me he said he didn’t hear me but uh um I just I just feel bad it’s one of those things that

Happen in golf but he is such a beautiful shot I mean he he deserve that three thank you and what do you feel with the team event obviously it’s new for you in many ways you’re with three of start the third event in do you feel

Much pressure is the is the team captain to lead from the front saying that I don’t have much experience in team sports is is not in the golf world I way no no no it’s not really true I’ve been part of teams my entire life uh growing up the way they

They you basically get into golf in Spain it’s it’s always through teams right you first are maybe your would be my Province team and then you become your your State team and then national team and then college so I’ve been part of a team my my entire life um

And and it’s some of the most fun memories I have on the golf course so that’s why I don’t think it it was that heart of a transition in that sense cuz I’ve been a part of it plus four years of college golf so yeah I think you know when I turned Pro

It was the first time I wasn’t part of a team so it’s just you know something that I enjoy and I don’t feel the pressure to go out there and Lead um but if I’m not having my best day and I see my my team is doing well it definitely

Helps you in a different way to play a little bit better if needed that’s great thank you both hi John uh my first question is to you the 18th hole today the way you played it and then you made that birdie over there is that kind of what makes

You the best player in the world you look like in trouble throughout that hole and then you make a birdie over there it is funny cuz after the t-shot I told I told Adam you can just make four the traditional way and when I made it

He told me that was not the traditional way and I said well if anything it’s the Spanish way from travel to travel to good shot to make the Putt and uh yeah I mean I just hit it left I thought about going for the green just

Not a good enough lie and I caught a massive flyer on this I mean I was 20 120 yards from that bunker tried to just chip an Adar and and it never came down and then from the bunker luckily I drew a good lie it wasn’t the hardest shot in

The world uh I certainly didn’t expect it to go left of the pin but distance– wise it was a good number and a good lie it wasn’t the hardest with the conditions we had today but obviously you have to still hit the shot uh I don’t know it’s just you got to fight

For the score every s you every CH you know every shot every situation you’re in and uh I certainly Le shy away from trying to make a birdie that’s for sure and John you spoke about uh going and playing in new courses and feeling comfortable you have done well on new

Courses but you know being from Arizona and playing in desert courses does that in any way help when you come to a desert Coast like this it’s not quite the same most of the course as we play over there once you’re off grass you’re in rocks so the ball is not really

Playable a lot of times so it’s a little bit different and it’s different type of grass as well so do I feel comfortable with maybe a little dustier look and the heat yeah I mean it’s it’s not too far from Arizona is like but the golf course itself is very

Different to what we would see uh but this is what Haka said it’s it’s a fantastic Golf Course where you know you need to hit quality shots and if you’re aggressive and pull it off you can put on you know pull off a score and and

That’s what we did today and if I can ask you this absolutely red hot P that you’re showing over the past 3 months now more than that uh do you know what changed at the beginning I mean is it is it just the driver or if is there was

There one moment that you thought that okay you know I think I am on to it now it was a little bit of everything I I mean if I when I look back now from last season I wasn’t playing my best golf and I and I think was I think everything was

A little bit weaker I mean all the te iron shots ping uh my routines of the golf course uh I think the way I I work on my game and the way I I did my preparation before the tournaments I think it’s a little bit of everything and um trying to improve

Right now on on everything as much as I can and and yeah I mean obviously a lot of I had a few changes on my swing on the technique I was struggling with a little bit and now it’s feeling a lot better I’ve been getting more confident on on

My swing too so I been able to see those shots and and just commit to them and and go hit them so so yeah I mean I think he just building confidence during the next during the last couple months is just yeah I mean it just shows

Whenever everything is kind of in the right direction is a little bit easier is there one thing you can put your finger on which you think that you have improved the most on me everything all right I think we have um one more English then we’ll do one

Arabic hi Han from uh Saudi gazet what’s the strategy to maintain the same position individually and as a team strategy yeah keep executing the shots the way you see it uh there’s no elaborate answer to that right is just keep playing good golf I think you have to

Stay aggressive and give yourself plenty of chances it’s it’s a golf course that allows you to be aggressive and and I think if you if you try to dial it back a little bit it’s it’s hard to score on so uh I think you could see with both of

Us every single chance we could driver was in our hands hit it up as close to the grein as possible and and give yourself a wedge because is how you can attack this golf course um if the wind comes up well scores are going to be a

Little bit lower but it doesn’t really change in that sense thank you so much uh one Arabic question and yasim will translate yeah gu um this is bil from John H question is for you John um he’s asking you in order for you guys um to of course maintain

That um you know first place as a team what were your words of encouragement would be to the team sorry what did you say the words of encouragement for the team and what what what would you say to the team uh members in order for you guys

We’re all grown men they they can take care of themselves when they’re playing this good it’s nothing I have to say uh everybody everybody on the team is very competitive and if there’s anything I have to say is you know keep fighting every every shot counts right so no

Matter what keep keep trying to post the score especially Sunday when when every score actually does count right uh never give up and and stay strong cuz they’ve we’ve all been playing well and and Kieran is play really good golf is just not there yet and I think at one point

He going to click and he’s going to put in a low one so when things start going this well this there not much I should be saying I think um just let them do what they have to do thank you John that wraps it up good luck with the

Rest of the week guys thank you