Jon Rahm didn’t show many signs of rust despite a whirlwind week leading into the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Rahm and wife Kelley welcomed their second child, Eneko, last week in Arizona and spent four days in the hospital, returning home last Sunday.
“It’s been really fun for me the last few days,” Rahm said after an opening 67 at TPC Southwind put him five shots off the early lead.
Full-field scores from FedEx St. Jude Championship
Though his preparation might have been altered heading into the first event of the playoffs, Rahm said he did plenty of work in the weeks leading up to the birth. He also snuck in about 90 minutes of practice Sunday before departing for Memphis.
“Sometimes it’s almost better to disconnect a little bit,” he said.
It’s been a surprisingly quiet year for the former world No. 1, with his lone victory coming at the Mexico Open in late April. He has just one top-10 in his last five starts and has dropped to sixth in the world.
With the playoffs beginning, Rahm said he’ll go three weeks without seeing the newest addition to his family. (He also has a one-year-old son, Kepa.) Before teeing off Thursday, he perked up while seeing a picture of his smiling wife and newborn.
“When I see that type of happiness, it’s a lot easier for me to go out there and compete,” he said. “Even though I won’t see them for 20 days, it still gives me a lot of positives and happiness to be out there and do what I have to do.”