Jon Rahm Explains Course Setup Comments After Viral Outburst

Jon Rahm has doubled-down on his golf course setup comments after a viral video showed the Spaniard criticising last week's venue at the American Express for being a 'putting contest week'. The World no.1 was filmed walking off of a green where he said, "piece of s***, f****** setup, putting contest week, Jesus Christ."

Speaking at this week's Farmers Insurance Open, Rahm said missing the fairway meant "absolutely nothing" at the American Express and described the course as "a bit too easy for the best players in the world." Hudson Swafford won the event with a score of 23-under-par, with Rahm finishing in T14th at 14-under-par. Interestingly Rahm said he would have probably missed the cut had it been a tougher, Major-like setup but managed a top-15 due to the ease of the course. 

"The video's pretty self explanatory," Rahm said. "I mean, we're the PGA Tour, we're the best golfers on the planet and we're playing a golf course where missing the fairway means absolutely nothing. There was times where missing the fairway by an inch was worse than missing the fairway by 20 yards, that to me is a mistake. I don't know what else to say. I also understand we're in the desert, you can't overseed the entire golf course and things like that can't happen, but yeah, we played a lot of golf with zero rough. It's just, I don't know.

"I mean, if I knew somebody was recording, I wouldn't say it the way I did, but I was just thinking out loud and letting some frustration out because that's what I felt, right? No matter where you hit it, you're going to be able to hit it on the green and it becomes a putting contest, who can make the putts. That's about it, there's no premium for anything else. 

"I can tell you right now with the way I struck the ball last week and the way I putted, if it was in, let's say, major championship conditions, I probably wouldn't have made the cut let alone finished 14th, or I shouldn't have, I believe. Maybe, maybe not. But I just think it was a bit too easy for the best players in the world. That's just my opinion."