Rahm raring to get edge over World No.1 Dustin Johnson

Jon Rahm will be hoping to learn a thing or two from World No.1 Dustin Johnson as the Spaniard aims to find the form that saw him light up the DP World Tour Championship at the first World Golf Championship of the year in Mexico which kicks off later today (March 7).

The 23-year-old will tee off with Johnson and the red-hot Justin Thomas on the first two days of the tournament and Rahm revealed that he had already spent time practicing with Johnson in the lead up to the event.

“I was playing with Rafa Cabrera Bello, Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson earlier in the week and we were all trying to learn bits and pieces from each other’s game,” said the two time European Tour winner.

“It’s always nice to play with a calibre of players like that as you can really learn so much from their games and try and implement little things into your own.”

The World No.2 was named the European Tour Rookie Of The Year in 2017 and will now be aiming to build even further on that breakthrough season by topping the World Golf Rankings which is currently occupied by Johnson who was last seen playing in the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

“I’m going to train hard and practice a lot to try and reach the top spot in the World Rankings but I’m not sure how I will stay there if I do achieve it. It will be a whole new experience for me,” said Rahm.

“I’m going to have to play my very best golf to even have a chance of getting there though as DJ is playing so well that it will be a tough task knocking him off his perch.”

Knocking Johnson off the top will certainly be a tough task for the Spaniard who sees similarities between himself and the American.

“Me and Dustin play quite a similar game and have the same mindset. We were talking about our shot choices and if we can hit a driver off the tee that’s exactly what we are going to do. We would rather miss the fairway than lay-up and miss the fairway,” added Rahm.

“He is a really steady guy and will always feel he has a chance of winning any event because he is playing at such a high level. When a guy is feeling the way you just have to feel the same to try and beat him.”

Rahm will be looking to show those similarities this weekend at the first of the four World Golf Championships as he embarks on a season that should see him feature in the Ryder Cup for the first time. Watch out America!

 

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