LA JOLLA (Calif.) – Jon Rahm had hoped to meet Kobe Bryant after the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open. Unfortunately, Rahm was unable to attend that meeting. Bryant was killed in a plane accident on Sunday Farmers Day. Rahm heard about Bryant’s death from Kelley when he entered the Torrey Pines scoring area. Rahm has always admired Bryant’s “Mamba mentality”, work ethic, determination and perseverance – as well as his ability to balance fatherhood and sustained greatness. Rahm wanted to talk about this topic with the 18-time NBA All-Star. Rahm spoke Tuesday morning on ESPN’s SportsCenter to discuss the topic with Kobe. He was speaking ahead of this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines where he hopes to win his third TOUR title. How do you manage all this and still provide a reference for your children? Rahm is a father to two and has been making the most of his time at the course over the past weeks. In his five last official starts, Rahm has won four times, including back-to-back TOUR starts, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and last week’s The American Express at La Quinta. Rahm is a great host at Torrey Pines. Rahm won his first TOUR title at 2017 Farmers Insurance Open and the 2021 U.S. Open. Although the trends seem to be aligned, Rahm knows that any edge is important. He listened to Bryant’s videos and interviews while in college. He noticed similarities between their approaches to the craft. Rahm stated Sunday at The American Express that he admires Bryant’s obsessiveness over the game. “It’s someone to learn from,” Rahm said. “Work ethic is more important than talent any day of the week. Rahm stated that he once asked Tiger Woods about his work ethic. He said that he was a hard worker and puts in a lot of effort. Rahm doesn’t believe he can duplicate the Woods advice. Rahm stated that he said he didn’t sleep. Rahm said, “And that doesn’t correlate with me. “I knew Kobe would have the same opinion, but I had no choice but to find something in the middle.” Rahm may not be able to learn that particular type of advice from Bryant but the Mamba mentality is still alive and well as the Spaniard’s historic wins. Dustin Johnson was the last player to win three consecutive TOUR starts. Since then, ten players have won back-to-back TOUR starts. Rahm is aiming for his three-peat on this week’s easy terrain. Bryant was a Los Angeles Laker who perfected his game. Rahm stated, “The way he approached life and his craft really spoke volumes to me.” Rahm could also say that “Craft” is the key word in Kobe.
By: Kevin Prise
Title: Jon Rahm discusses how Kobe Bryant inspired him
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/news/2023/01/24/jon-rahm-discusses-how-kobe-bryant-inspired-him-farmers-insurance-open.html
Published Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2023 14:00:00 -0500
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