The next two weeks could define Jon Rahm\u2019s summer.<\/p>\n
The Legion XIII captain arrived at The Renaissance Club on Tuesday for his first Genesis Scottish Open appearance since 2022 \u2014 and his first start in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event outside of the majors since the 2023 Tour Championship. The occasion was not lost on him. Standing on the links of East Lothian with The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale just a week away, Rahm made clear that this is the stretch of the calendar he has been building toward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a great week that if the schedule had allowed, I think I would have tried to play,\u201d he said. \u201cI think many of us would have tried to play. It gets you much more prepared for The Open, and that\u2019s why so many players have played the Scottish Open before it was even a co-sanctioned event. It\u2019s great to play a links golf event before a links golf event.\u201d<\/p>\n
The field assembled at The Renaissance Club this week is, by Rahm\u2019s own assessment, something close to a major in everything but name.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as strength of field goes, it does feel like you have two majors in a row without being a major,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s that good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Going head-to-head with Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and many more of the world\u2019s best on a links layout is precisely the preparation Rahm wants before playing in a major championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re only playing the type of golf you need to be playing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re also playing against a world-class field.\u201d<\/p>\n
“As a European, understanding where the game came from, being able to win in this country would be very, very special”<\/p>\n
Jon Rahm would love to add another of the sport’s most storied titles to his CV. #GenesisScottishOpen<\/a> | #RolexSeries<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n His game, he says, is in a good place. The U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills was a rare miss, and Rahm took ownership of his mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cI was 6 over in five holes,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t chalk that up to bad luck. There are certainly mistakes that I made. The second shot on 14 is not bad luck \u2014 it\u2019s entirely my fault.\u201d<\/p>\n The Spaniard had a bogey-free first round and felt his game was in reasonable shape entering Round 2, which made the five-hole unravelling more frustrating than alarming.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurts to miss a cut because I feel like I was playing good,\u201d Rahm said. \u201cOnce you analyse it, you have to be vulnerable enough to admit those mistakes and try to move on and learn.\u201d<\/p>\n He has moved on. Asked how his game feels heading into this two-week stretch, the answer was uncomplicated: \u201cYeah, feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n Rahm has had a fruitful relationship with links golf during his career. He won the Irish Open in 2017 and 2019, both on classic links courses. He spoke at length on Tuesday about what separates this form of the game from everything played on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n \u201cThe game comes alive over here,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of times the game worldwide has become hit it long, hit it high, try to make as many birdies as possible. Here you can\u2019t just do that. You have to play certain shots and understand how the ball reacts on the fairway, on the bounces on the green. I don\u2019t think you can replicate it anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n When pressed on what makes a great links player and, by extension, what qualities can make an Open champion, Rahm spoke about the importance of flight and spin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to have a great understanding of spin, trajectory, control, and how the ball reacts on the fairway and on the greens,\u201d he said. \u201cIt comes down to what I understand as trajectory and spin control, mainly onto the greens.\u201d<\/p>\n RELATED: Rory McIlroy sees Renaissance Club growing in more ways than one ahead of Genesis Scottish Open<\/a><\/p>\n Asked if he is good at that, he smiled and said, \u201cI like to think I\u2019m good at it. But you still have to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n A win at The Renaissance Club would be another notch in Rahm\u2019s impressive national open record that already includes multiple Irish Open titles and his home Spanish Open.<\/p>\n \u201cA victory on Scottish soil would be fantastic,\u201d Rahm said. \u201cAs a European, understanding where links golf came from, and a list of great champions in the Scottish Open \u2014 it would be something really, really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n Rahm arrives in East Lothian as one of the most complete links players in the world, with two wins this season, a major runner-up, and a game that he says is in a good place. He has won national opens across Europe, contended at The Open multiple times, and spoken as eloquently as anyone about what this form of golf demands.<\/p>\n The next two weeks are his chance to put it all together. If he does, there are very few players in the world capable of stopping him from lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale.<\/p>\n Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media<\/p>\n