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Ever wondered why Jon Rahm doesn’t make a full backswing?

The US Open champion famously takes the club only three-quarters of the way back, which, until today, many assumed was by design.

As it turns out, it’s actually by necessity.

Speaking to the media ahead of this week’s Open Championship at Royal St George’s, the Spaniard explained: “I’m tired of hearing that the reason why I have a short swing is that I have tight hips or other things.

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“If you know anything about golf, that is the stupidest thing to say.

“So for people that don’t know, I was born with a club foot on my right leg, which means for anybody that’s sensitive about that, my right leg up to the ankle was straight, my foot was 90 degrees turned inside and basically upside down. So when I was born, they basically relocated, pretty much broke every bone in the ankle and I was casted within 20 minutes of being born from the knee down.

“I think every week I had to go back to the hospital to get recasted, so from knee down my leg didn’t grow at the same rate. So I have very limited ankle mobility in my right leg. It’s a centimetre-and-a-half shorter as well.”

He added: “So what I mean by limitations is I didn’t take a full swing because my right ankle doesn’t have the mobility or stability to take it. So I learned at a very young age that I’m going to be more efficient at creating power and be consistent from a short swing.

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“If I take a full to parallel, yeah, it might create more speed, but I have no stability. My ankle just can’t take it.

“Now, also, and this is where I’ve learned doing many TPI tests, my wrists don’t have much mobility this way, but I’m hypermobile this way. That’s why I also naturally turn to bow my wrist to create power in every single sport I do. It’s little things that I think a lot of people can learn. Let your body dictate how you can swing. Simple as that.”

However, whilst Rahm says his swing is efficient and works for him, he doesn’t think it’s necessarily something that amateurs and club golfers should try to emulate.

“It’s what works for me. I think it’s the biggest lesson I can give any young player. Don’t try to copy me. Don’t try to copy any swing out there. Just swing your swing. Do what you can do. That’s the best thing for yourself. 

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“I used to not be a good ball striker. Terrible. And slowly, once I started learning in college, I became a good ball striker. Learn from your body. Your body is going to tell you what it can and can’t do. Some things you can improve, some things you can’t.”

Rahm gets his Open title tilt underway at 9.58am on Thursday in the company of defending champion Shane Lowry and 2010 Open champ Louis Oosthuizen.


author headshot

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor

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