Jon Rahm on Ozempic Heckle, Big-Moment Energy & Playing the Villain Ryder Cup Bethpage

Jon Rahm previews his fourth Ryder Cup, sharing the part of the week he never expected to love — the locker-room chemistry, the laughter, and seeing every personality up close. He reflects on walking into Paris as a rookie and feeling the “aura” of Sergio and Poulter, how his relationship with Tyrrell Hatton grew from quiet Paris rookies to a fiery, effective pairing (plus a hilarious postseason celebration tale), and why Rory McIlroy is now the cornerstone of Team Europe. Rahm also embraces the New York crowd (“creative, passionate, fun”), laughs about an Ozempic heckle, and breaks down driver off No. 1 at Bethpage Black depending on the wind.

John Rom joins us now at the 2025 RDER Cup. John, welcome to your fourth RDER Cup. Let’s go ahead and get started with questions. Starting right here with Dan over here. John, what’s what’s one part of this week that you love that maybe as a kid you wouldn’t have expected to love or that you didn’t think about? Something unexpected about this week that you always look forward to? You kind of got me a little bit on that one. Uh, I definitely didn’t know what to expect on my first Ryder Cup. Obviously, after that first one, you know, it’s more how fun the team aspect is, right? Getting to see all the different personalities and how much we truly laugh and enjoy the locker room moments this week. Uh, it’s not something that I thought of as a kid. When you’re thinking as a kid, you’re thinking, oh, you know, Pter’s pot at Madina, this other pot, right, GMax pot on 16 at at Celtic Manor, all these great moments, and all I thought about was the golf aspect of it. Never thought of what happened in the locker room, right? And that first Ryder Cup was quite interesting to see all the personalities come in that I don’t ordinarily see on dayto-day. Sean, John, a lot of guys mention how the RDER Cup feels like the first time they maybe really belong at the highest level among their peers. Uh, your first Rder Cup, did you feel like you belonged at that point? H, yes and no. There’s definitely a hierarchy. Uh, because I’d only been a pro for I think not even two years at that point. Actually, just just over two years. Um, and I was high in the world rankings. Yes, I had been playing great golf, but the second I got in the locker room, it was very, very, very apparent to me that I was way lower down when it came to Ryder Cup just because of how comfortable some players were and how different the dynamic of the week is. Did I belong? Yes. But the presence and like nowadays we say the aura of some players like the second you walk in the locker room in Paris, Sergio and Poulter were very like the just the heaviness of their presence was was apparent right away. Same with Rory, same with many others, right? And as a very young rookie, right, the the intimidation did did happen right away. It was very different to what I expected, which which was in a weird sense very very humbling going to the Future Racer Cups. Is is it obvious who the Sergio and Palter are in the European team room now? Yeah, I mean especially at that moment like it was, you know, I mean it’s and I think Sergio that week became the the highest point earner in the European team history uh as well. And and there’s more players like like the Lee Westwoods and the people that have been there for nearly 10 Ryder Cups. I mean Lee’s done 11. I think that was just Yeah, that was his 10th. It’s just this the suppressence. There’s so much that they had all experienced together already for a better part of 20 years that you’re the new kid coming in. There’s a lot you have to learn. Up to Mike on 10. John, how would you describe the development of your relationship with Terrell over the last three Ryder Cups, especially in comparison to the last two years? Uh, so I don’t think Turo and I said a word to each other in Paris till Sunday night. We both together might have said 10 words all week. We were both extremely quiet. Uh, and obviously in whistling that that changed a little bit, right? We got paired together. We have similar interests. Uh, but at the time we’re playing Call of Duty. We were the only two on the team I think had ever played. So we had some shared interests in that sense and played golf at the same intensity. So that’s when we got paired together for the first time and had a great time on the golf course. Did really well with that great birdie from Ton 18 to tie the match, right? Uh, so I think that’s when it all started and then going into Rome. That week is when I think our friendship really started sharing those for some matches with him and then obviously the last two years. Uh, uh, I mean, he’s he’s a heck of a guy to be on. Uh, I think he gets wildly misunderstood on the golf course. Uh, he’s one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet off the golf course who is not afraid to make fun of himself. Obviously, he competes the way he does and I fully understand the way he competes because our thought process is very much similar. Uh, but the more I get to know him, the more of a better person he truly is. And you see that in in many different ways than just being around the boys is just the way, you know, the way he treats the people around him, the way he treats his wife. He’s he’s a great human being. And also, we got his version of the uh postseason celebration. Can we get yours? The whole version if you don’t mind. How much did he say? Did he say the whole story on Wimworth? Like the entire thing? What happened at night? Everything he Oh, do you need my version of him or my version of mine? Cuz it was your version of yourself. I don’t I don’t drink a lot, but luckily I have a bigger tank to put it in. So uh yeah we uh the main thing is obviously he had just found out he was qualified for the Ryder Cup which being in live is extremely difficult. What he did is is outstanding and I understand why he was the the pride he felt why he wanted to celebrate and plus being the end of the season for us. But the problem was the amount of things we mixed because I’m not going to get into amount. I’m sure he did, but between wine, gin and tonic, amordo sour, one margarita for some reason, and then this strawberry lemonade vodka thing that we don’t know what it was. The bartender was very creative. That was just a little bit too much. Yeah. None of us were feeling good on Monday, but he was definitely feeling the worst. Thanks Allan on one. Uh John, how have you seen Rory’s role evolve across the different writer cups? So I think in Paris he’s definitely one of those names, right? I mean it is Rory Maroy. It’s one of the greatest players we have in the world and there’s still that level of presence from the other guys, right? But I think as the RDER Cups go on, especially in Rome, I think in Rome it shifted. Uh whistling unfortunately wasn’t the week for him. He wasn’t playing his best golf. And when you’re playing bad is half is very hard to still be there that way. Um but when he comes to Rome, he was he was him, right? He was he’s the biggest name we have in Europe. He’s the better player we have in Europe. And he’s definitely the biggest presence. And that’s that’s his role now, right? So he’s he’s gone from obviously being an incredible good player to a great Rica player to now being the I would say the cornerstone the team Europe needs. So it’s uh it’s special to have him there. It’s special to be around. He’s a heck of a superstar and my respect for him and his game only grows the more time I spend with him. Two. Uh John, you’re an an emotional player. um how much will this week be about controlling those emotions on the course and is there a way to prepare for that other than VR goggles or um all those things? I don’t think they were created if those VR goggles to what we’re hitting here this week so far what we’ve heard in practice rounds. Uh the good thing about this week is New York fans are so passionate and luckily for me that’s something I can relate to, right? It’s in both ways is really really fun. But they have the ability to he to be incredibly creative which we can all appreciate, right? We’ve always we’ve all been in a home game trying to say some things about the away team, right? But some of people here come up with some things that I, you know, I would have never in a million years come up with. Uh, and it’s a lot of fun to be to be a part of. they they understand sports and in a in a weird sense from what I’ve experienced in New York is when you’re playing good and you’re performing well they also respect that, right? So, uh it’s it’s a joy to play in front of them and no matter what I’m looking forward to it because it’s going to be special. It’s it’s you can’t get you can mentally get ready for it if you’ve been a part of an OA rider cup. If not, you’re going to find out on the first day how you react. right over here. Cameron John, I’m curious strategy off the first TE this week. I know a couple of the American players have been taking driver and kind of going straight at the green. Is that in the game plan at all for for you personally or maybe has that been discussed about what to do off the first te depending on conditions? Depends on the wind. uh downwind, maybe not in the morning, but if we get if it gets straight down wind can get fairly close and the rough isn’t so high that you can makes you think about having to hit the fairway, right? So, you can afford to miss the fairway, be so close to the green, and then just have a good chance of hitting it close. So, if it’s into the win, it’s a driver regardless. And downwind most likely will be a driver. Yeah, I don’t think I’ve thought of of a different club to be fair. Yeah, I don’t know if I can get to the green though. It’s uh it’s I would need a little bit of firmness on the farways for me to maybe reach. I don’t think I have the the carry that maybe Bryson or Cam Young or Rory may have. 13. John, talking about the fans getting creative with the heckling, um I saw it reported that someone shouted something about the weight loss drug as Empic at you the other day. I don’t know if you I was Oh, yeah. First first shot on the practice rounds. Yeah, I I don’t know exactly what he said, but I’m see I think what he said was what did he say? Obviously, he said, “Hey, Ram.” He either say, “Where’s the Osmpeic or when’s Osmpeic?” Somethingic. I just don’t know what word exactly. It was funny. I mean, the the heckling in general, you think it’s on the right side of good taste that there’s no issue with it? So far, it’s been it’s been really The humor has been there. It’s been really funny. Obviously, I can imagine tomorrow things might turn a little bit, but there’s always a few funny ones and not only towards me, towards everybody. Uh, I’m not going to say what they said, but yesterday on 17, me and Shari had a good laugh at something someone said in the crowd. So, it’s again, people can be really creative nowadays. Thanks for your time, John. We appreciate it. Thank you.