Jon Rahm Looks to Defend Farmers Insurance Open Title

January 21, 2018

A year ago, in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Rahm made two memorable eagles on Sunday in route to shooting 7-under-par 65 on the Torrey Pines South Course to capture his first PGA Tour title.

The victory catapulted Rahm into a spectacular season. On the PGA Tour, he recorded 11 top-10 finishes in 23 starts, with five top-3 showings.

In 2018, Rahm has picked up where he left off, jumping out to a torrid start after winning last week’s CareerBuilder Challenge at PGA WEST in La Quinta.

The defending Farmers Insurance Open champion and world No. 3 ranked player recently took some time to field a few questions from the SCGA.

How excited are you to be back at the site of your first PGA TOUR victory?

I’m extremely excited. It’s felt like a long year. A lot of things have happened since then but I’m looking forward to getting back out there and teeing it up again. Plus, having Tiger back this week will be great and I keep saying it; I hope I get paired with him. He can share a lot of things about this place [Torrey Pines].

Outside of the nostalgia, what’s so special about this course and setting?

It’s a great design. The view you get right to the ocean, it’s truly beautiful. Also, the course just fits my game really, really, really well. It helps to be able to hit it high, straight and long. I also grew up on poa annua greens so what most people don’t like about the greens I love.

What about the course design specifically fits your eye?

It’s a good course for faders, at least up until the 15th hole where they start going left. Those par 5s aren’t easy to get to in two so when you have the length and ball flight to land it close, it’s an advantage. But what I like most is the green complexions. They remind me a lot of the greens that I grew up around. You have to hit a lot of high chips – barely any bump and runs around the greens here. That’s something that I’m really comfortable with.

What’re some of your favorite San Diego hot spots?

Well, when I’m here I usually stay at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. I’m good friends with the general manager and he allows me to practice there. I also have a lot of friends who play there so when I’m able to come here and spend time with them it’s a plus. With TaylorMade being so close, there are a lot of places that I’ve become a regular at. Whether it’s Duke’s La Jolla, George’s at the Cove or anywhere else, we just try to hit all the spots that make San Diego famous.

What’s been the key to your meteoric rise up the world rankings this past year?

I could point to a lot. But it’s probably been my driving. I’ve been hitting my driver consistently straight, long and in the fairway this past year or so and obviously that makes everything easier. Usually when I set my mind to accomplish something, I either do it or get really close. So when I got my first win that early in the season, it really jumpstarted me.

How often do you think about that winning eagle putt on No. 18?

Not going to lie, that night I won the tournament, I came home and probably watched that putt 150 times because I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t sleep that night because of the major adrenaline rush so I stayed up and continued to watch it. So yeah, I’ve thought about that putt plenty since it happened. It was hard to believe.

First round play gets underway on Thursday. Purchase tickets here.



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