The best moments from Jon Rahm’s fascinating and insightful analysis on RBC Heritage broadcast
Jon Rahm has had a busy couple of weeks: Winning the Masters, playing 72 holes at Harbour Town, and putting on his analyst hat during CBS’ final-round broadcast of the RBC Heritage.
Rahm joined in via headset on Sunday afternoon with the lead group on the 13th hole. CBS reporter Amanda Renner, sitting next to Rahm, noted that the recent green-jacket winner admitted he was “worn out.” But that didn’t stop Rahm from delivering some fascinating commentary and insight for nearly a half hour.
Here are some highlights:
Getting into the details
Rahm’s first task was sizing up a chip by Patrick Cantlay from just off the front of the 13th green.
“This is not my full-time job obviously, but Cantlay is here in a tough situation,” Rahm started. “Tight tie, decently flat, where the ball is, most likely his heel is going to be exposed to the ground, toe probably going to be off the ground, he’s gotta hit it high and soft over that slope; very tough to do. He has incredible control of the low point of the shot, he can use the bounce really, really well, but this is a shot where if you can somehow hit it 6-10 feet behind the pin and give yourself a chance and not lose two shots to Jordan on this hole would be a good situation.”
Cantlay hit a high one that landed a few feet past the hole and ended up about 18 feet away.
“There you go, 15 feet, a little bit longer,” Rahm said. “It would’ve been incredibly hard to hit it close. That shot is about as good as it gets.”
On cue
As Jordan Spieth eyed a short birdie putt that would put him two shots up and Matt Fitzpatrick was looking at a par putt, Rahm was asked what Fitzpatrick needed to do over the final five holes to win.
“I don’t want to sound too obvious, right? Hopefully he makes that 4-footer par, he’s going to be one or two back with four holes to play,” Rahm said. “You can’t expect Jordan to make any mistakes, right? So, you have to think you have to play those holes 2 under par.”
Spieth rolled in his putt, but then on the next tee box, at the par-3 14th – and with Rahm giving a brilliant description of how to land the tee ball about 20-30 feet short of the hole and in line with the curve of the hazard line – Spieth made, well, a mistake.
Rahm had just said of long-left: “A bad spot you don’t want to be in.”
“That is not – oh my god!” Spieth yelled as he yanked his tee ball long and left of the green.
“Some tight lies over there,” Rahm noted, “although Jordan, I’ll say he’s above average with a wedge in his hands.”
Jon Rahm, golf addict
As they cut to a different hole, Rahm was quickly asked by Jim Nantz when he’d be returning to his home club, Silverleaf, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Rahm responded that he was flying back Monday morning and that there was a celebration planned at the club for Tuesday night.
Trevor Immelman then chimed in by asking how long Rahm would put the golf clubs away for.
“I don’t know,” Rahm answered. “I’m beyond addicted to this game, so I always say I’ll take some time off and then tomorrow you’ll see me chipping in the afternoon. So, I really don’t know. How seriously I will take it if I go and play? I can tell you it won’t be very serious; I’ll be out there playing music and having a good time, but at least through Wednesday I won’t be touching a golf club. My body needs the rest.”
Handicap talk
A quick moment saw Nantz bringing up Rahm’s reported plus-9 handicap.
“It’s gone up then,” Rahm said with hesitation. “I heard it was plus-13 at one point. I’m glad it’s more realistic now.”
Oops!
Finally, it was time to show Cantlay’s tee shot into No. 14, and Rahm predicted Cantlay would try to draw an 8-iron in there.
On-course reporter Dottie Pepper, though, quickly pointed out that it was actually going to be a 7-iron.
“Well, see, I’m completely wrong,” Rahm said as Cantlay then hit a cut, “and he’s trying to cut it.”
‘Hiding almost in the columns’
As Spieth and Co. walked toward their balls, CBS played a video of Spieth congratulating Rahm as he walked toward scoring after winning the Masters. Rahm admitted he never heard what Spieth told him as they hugged, but he added of Spieth, “he’s a class act.”
Rahm also mentioned how he was surprised that Spieth even stuck around before mentioning that he also received congrats from his former college coach, Tim Mickelson, as well as Phil Mickelson.
“Just after [Tim], Phil was hiding almost in the columns and also congratulated me,” Rahm said.
Welcome to announcing
“Danger is lurking”
That’s what Rahm said as Spieth and Cantlay faced similar chips, speedy with lots of green to cover and water lurking closely behind the hole.
Spieth ran his chip 15 feet by, almost off the green, before Nantz suggested that maybe Cantlay got a good teach. Rahm corrected him, noting the difficulty of the shot.
“I don’t know if seeing it makes it any easier,” Rahm said, before sizing up Cantlay’s shot.
“He’s probably going to want to just carry those sprinklers by maybe 5 feet and let it release down,” Rahm continued. “If you hit it a little too hard trying to get it to the hole, you can end up going into the back fringe or put the water in play.”
Moments later, Cantlay’s ball raced through the green and ended up wedged against a bulkhead post, which saved the ball from splashing.
“I would seriously doubt him giving this a shot,” Rahm said as Cantlay went through his options. “If he had faith that that ball’s going to come out forward, you could do it and use the backstop, but I think it’s too big a risk.”
Immelman then asked if Cantlay needed to be risky with Spieth two shots up.
“You can’t,” Rahm asserted. “Take a drop, hopefully make a 4, and try to go on a tear the last few holes; that’s all you can do.”
Rahm then noticed Spieth’s pacing, saying it’s very easy to forget that he’s still got to make his par putt and stay two ahead of Fitzpatrick. As he did that, Cantlay decided to play the shot, and he delivered a masterful chip, hitting it about 5 feet past.
“Incredible,” Rahm said, somewhat incredulously. “Everything we said just means nothing.”
“Welcome to being an announcer, Jon,” Immelman followed.
Rahm answered: “I don’t like it at all.”
Rahm was kidding, of course. As Spieth and Cantlay made their bogeys, Renner signed Rahm off. Before he departed, though, Rahm said: “I’m looking forward to doing this again.”
We are, too.