Jon Rahm urges fellow golf pros to back anti-racism

Spaniard reveals his experience of bigotry over language

Jon Rahm in action at the Players Championship at Sawgrass in March just before golf shut down due to the pandemic. Picture: Cliff Hawkins/Getty

Jon Rahm, the European No 1, has revealed he has been the subject of prejudice in the United States, saying it was “not a good feeling”.

Speaking in the build up to the PGA Tour returning this week with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas, the Spaniard said personal reasons had been behind him expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

In a post on Twitter following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Rahm, who went to college in the US and now lives there, wrote: “I invite my fellow (tour) members to support the causes of getting rid of hate, bigotry and racism. Our game is a wonderful game and the PGA Tour, European Tour and LPGA Tour provide a wonderful platform to make an incredible living, support amazing charities and make a difference.

“I love looking outside the ropes and seeing the diversity of faces, men and women, young and old enjoying a game for a lifetime. Let’s continue the conversation in support of our black community, embrace our differences and empower each person to greatness.”

In his press conference for this week’s event at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, where 15 of the world’s top 20 are taking part in an event being played in a “bubble” behind closed doors, Rahm was asked why he felt it was important to express his views in the past week.

“Well, as a Hispanic immigrant in the US, even though I’m not even close to experiencing what some people have experienced in this world, I’ve gotten dirty looks myself just speaking Spanish with one of my team-mates or with people in some public areas,” he added. “I’ve never been racially profiled for the colour of my skin, but I have had some experiences. And it’s not a good feeling. I can’t fathom the reason why anybody would treat somebody differently just the way you look or they sound or what you believe in. We’re all the same. We’re all human beings, and we should all be treated the same way. To me, it’s as simple as that.

“Since this whole thing broke out, I’ve tried to reach out to understand more profoundly what’s going on because, if I’ve somehow experienced a little bit of what racism can be like, I can’t imagine what some people have experienced throughout their whole life.

“At the same time, as an athlete in a mainly white sport with somewhat of a platform on social media, I believed it was (right) to support this cause, now the biggest civil rights movement in history, and try to reach as many people as possible.”

Rahm, the world No 2, is being joined by top-ranked Rory McIlroy and No 3 Brooks Koepka for the circuit’s eagerly-awaited return, having been in lockdown since 13 March along with the other main tours. Players, caddies and support staff are all being tested for Covid-19 and, according to former PGA champion Justin Thomas it’s been a case of so far, so good.

“After going through all the protocols and doing everything thus far, it’s been a very, very easy process and the tour has done an unbelievable job of making it organised and making it very easy and quick. It’s been nothing but easy,” said Thomas, a member of the circuit’s Player Advisory Council.

Rahm, who also sits on that council, was speaking soon after getting the thumbs up following a 7am test.

“Hurt more than I thought it would, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I think it was pretty far up your nose. But I got the results extremely quick and I’m ready to go.”

This is the first of five planned events on the circuit without fans. “It’s going to be different,” admitted Thomas. “You can’t go into this thinking it’s going to be normal because it’s not. I would say 2020 is beyond a bizarre year so far, and especially in the world of sports it’s just going to be different.

“The atmosphere will definitely be different, but I am sure every single player in the field would rather be playing without fans a couple of weeks sooner than waiting for fans to be allowed. If someone was really worked up or bothered by that, they don’t have to come. But I think the strength of the field this week and the amount of top players in the world that are here showed that it’s not going to be too much of an issue because we all came.”

Rahm, who is adamant the Ryder Cup should not be played later this year if the only option is for it to be behind closed doors, reckons people will make “mistakes” in terms of social distancing as they have to change routines. “It’s going to be hard to just be constantly aware of the situation we’re living in that at some point somebody is going to slip,” he said. “Somebody is going to fist bump, somebody is going to do something because it’s going to be extremely hard just to get away from our routine. But more than that, can you imagine if somebody makes a 30-foot bomb on 18 to win the tournament? Nothing? It’s going to be a little weird.”

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