Jon Rahm shocked reporters when he opened up on his intimate celebrations after first becoming the number one golfer in the world.
World no.3 Rahm is aiming to the reach the top of the rankings again this week as a star-studded field battle it out at the now-iconic WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.
The in-form Spaniard has won four tournaments in his last seven starts and has been left baffled that he hasn't returned to the summit amid contentious recent changes to the way the rankings are calculated.
But Rahm has the chance to topple Rory McIlroy and climb back to world no.1 if he can secure victory at one of the world's highest-attended golf tournaments in Arizona. And relaxed Rahm perhaps overshared as he apologised to his wife when recalling the events after first reaching world no.1 at the Memorial Tournament in July 2020.
The 28-year-old was asked by a reporter if he had a "souvenir" or lasting memory after the achievement at Jack Nicklaus' event in Ohio.
"He’s almost two years old. Sorry, Kelley, but yeah," he joked, without any hesitation. "She can tell you the story more than me. We suspect that it was that night.”
Rahm and Kelley Cahill - who married in 2019 - welcomed their first child in the days leading up to the Masters 2021 tournament, nine months after he reached top spot at the Memorial. The couple's second son Eneko arrived in August last year.
The divisive WM Phoenix Open,now boasting a $20m (£16.6m) prize fund, has attracted 18 of the top 20 players in the world. And it is clear that Rahm is in jovial mood ahead of one of the PGA Tour's new "elevated" events.
He relishes the prospect of playing in front of huge crowds, including 20,000 spectators who create an extraordinary raucous atmosphere on the stadium-like par-3 16th hole.
"I think this was a designated event before we ever knew what they were going to be," he added. "No matter what the purse is, this tournament is going to be what it is. Very few sporting events in the world can comfortably happen in the same week as the Super Bowl and still have the impact that they have like this one.
"With that said, I don't think it's everybody's favourite. I think either you love it or hate it. There's no in-between. With my case, I love it. I want to come every year."
