Jon Rahm: Not missing birth of first child, not even for Masters

Winning the Masters is important to Jon Rahm – just not as much as being present for the birth of his child.

Rahm’s wife, Kelley, is due with the couple’s first child, a boy, sometime between mid-March and early April. Of course, that means that Rahm could potentially miss – or have to withdraw – from the year’s first major at Augusta National, something he’s already prepared for.

“Before anybody asks, yes, if I’m at Augusta and I’m playing well and she starts getting – you know, starts, I’m flying back,” Rahm said Wednesday at TPC Scottsdale. “I would never miss the birth of my firstborn in a million years, or any born for that matter.”

Rahm, who was married to his college sweetheart in December 2019 in Bilbao, Spain, said he plans to keep his normal playing schedule up until the baby is born. After this week’s Phoenix Open, Rahm will play in the Genesis Open, WGC-Mexico Championship (in Florida), The Players and WGC-Dell Match Play before the Masters.

“I think it’s second week of March is going to be Week 36, and as my mom has told me, because she’s a midwife many times, starting that week it can come any day,” Rahm said. “So, that’s what I’ll be doing. I’ve talked about it before and we’ve talked about it with her. No matter where I am and what I’m doing, if the phone rings I’m flying back, and I’m going back home to be there for the birth of my son.”

If Rahm is at Augusta National when his wife goes into labor, he’s hoping he’ll be able to receive the call. Phil Mickelson carried a beeper with him at the 1999 U.S. Open as he awaited his firstborn. His daughter, Amy, was born the day after he finished runner-up to Payne Stewart at Pinehurst.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it at Augusta because we can’t have our phones in,” Rahm said. “I might need to ask for an exception.”