Jon Rahm celebrates on the 17th green after winning his match in Saturday morning foursomes. | Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Koepka expressed unhappiness with the way Rahm conducted himself at the Ryder Cup, but the Spaniard is very self aware.
After Team USA got embarrassed by the Europeans Friday, Brooks Koepka referred to Jon Rahm as a ‘child’ due to his on-course behavior.
So after Rahm won another match on Saturday morning alongside Tyrell Hatton, the media asked the Spaniard about Koepka’s characterization.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m very happy with who I am, and I needed to do that at that moment to let off some steam and play the hole I wanted to do,” Rahm said.
“And clearly it worked out. I played two great shots and got a little lucky on the putt. I needed to do what I needed to do to perform under those circumstances. Is it right or wrong, childish or not? I don’t know, but that’s what I needed at the moment.”
The two Ryder Cup partners then joked about their short tempers.
“I’m not going to stand here and say I’m a, you know, perfect example of what to do on a golf course,” Rahm said as Hatton giggled. “I don’t think either of us two are.”
Photo by Maddie Meyer/PGA of America/PGA of America via Getty Images
Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton have won two matches with each other thus far at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
After missing a putt on the 17th green, Rahm took out his frustrations on a sign, similar to what he did at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles.
“I’m not happy I left a 10-footer short on 17 to possibly tie hole, and going up to the tee, I let off some frustration hitting the board sideways, I kept walking, never stopped, that was it,” Rahm explained.
“If Brooks thinks that’s childish, it is what it is. He’s entitled to think what he thinks, and I mean, I don’t know what else to say.”
At that point, Rahm and Nicolai Højgaard faced a one-hole deficit.
They needed to win the 18th hole to salvage a half-point and keep the Americans from winning their first match of the day.
Rahm did just that, channeling Seve Ballesteros by making an improbable eagle on the par-5 18th.
Koepka and Scottie Scheffler could not match Rahm’s three, thus leaving the match all square.
Of course, Koepka and Scheffler suffered a historic defeat on Saturday morning, losing to Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg, 9 & 7. So, it’s unlikely we will hear very much talking from Koepka the rest of the weekend.
The Americans entered Saturday’s afternoon session facing a 9.5-to-2.5 deficit.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
