Although Jon Rahm is a Masters winner, having taken home the green jacket in April 2023, he understands that the additional pressure he might feel is nothing compared to one superstar basketball legend.
The Spanish golfer was asked during a presser on Tuesday whether it's been a "mental challenge" as his star power has risen in the past one to two years, whether in the form of "different kinds of questions," "different kinds of attention," or just added pressure when he shows up to matches. For what it's worth, the pro had a difficult time at last year's tournament, where he tied for 45th. He then went on to miss the U.S. Open with an injury, and failed to qualify for the PGA Championship.
In his response, Rahm admitted the extra attention has been a change and that this week last year was a "tough" one, but conceded that it is "nothing different to what many other athletes deal with on a daily basis."
"Have you ever seen press conferences that LeBron James gives?" he went on. "Just feels like they're out to get him every single day. So I don't envy him one bit in that regard. But no, not that big a change in that part. I think a lot of it was more internal in my case than external."
Watch that question and answer below starting at 23:53:
Live now from the Interview Room: Jon Rahm https://t.co/CHA3ODuv0o
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2025
Earlier in the presser, Rahm was also asked whether he thought there was any truth to the narrative that golfers are more sensitive to media criticism than other athletes (11:57). The pro was pretty diplomatic in that response, as well, which also dovetailed nicely with his other comments after the fact.
After acknowledging that the criticism of other athletes often stems from fanbase rivalries and the nature of team sports—something golfers cannot relate to—Rahm also conceded that for a golfer to get significant heat, they must be a pretty big name.
"I think you need to get to a pace in the world of golf high enough to then earn the right for people to then criticize you in that way," he said. "It takes a long time to get there and start seeing that criticism. As a whole, I don't know if we'd be more or less sensitive than other players. I would definitely say that we probably see it less, therefore it could be that we're a little less used to it. But I couldn't tell you."
A fair take on the matter.
The 2025 Masters tournament will officially begin Thursday, April 10 and run though Sunday, April 13.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Golfer Jon Rahm Has Sympathy for LeBron James Over Treatment by the Media.
