A new year. Two months with no official competition. New clubs. New balls. New clothes. And everything has continued on just like it was before.
Jon finished in the top ten in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. As if nothing had changed. As if he had played in the Masters just last week. As if he were still playing with the old equipment that he has fought tooth and nail with for the past four years. That’s how Jon Rahm rolls.
The golfer from Barrika ended up with a noteworthy seventh place in the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Quite noteworthy, in fact, if we take all of the aforementioned conditions into account. He adapted incredibly well. He maintained the same level of accuracy on the tee shots and with the irons that he’s had these past years. This is the most positive news of the week on the Plantation course in Kapalua. Jon finished the tournament even more confident with the new material. He adapted at lightning speed, and all his hard work during these past weeks has come to fruition. There are no magic formulas here. It’s all about rolling your sleeves up, sitting down with professionals who know what they’re talking about, and hitting balls, one after another, until finding the sweet spot.
Jon will still have to work out the details these coming days. For example, he’ll have to change out the putter he feels completely comfortable with for the Odyssey putter. This week he played with the old one, although he’s already broken in the rest of the new material. He finished with his best performance ever in the Sentry as far as shots. He had never pulled off a score in this tournament like he did this week at -20. Beyond his solid performance and his top ten placement, it’s an excellent sign of what to expect in the coming weeks. He really only lost some ground in the first round, when he shot a 70. Strangely enough, the club that was the coldest on Thursday was the putter.
Rahm will rest next week, and will be back in action in the American Express in La Quinta.