After impressing with his prowess on Spanish golf courses, Jon Rahm was offered the opportunity to further improve his talent with a scholarship to Arizona State University, an institution at which pro Phil Mickelson’s younger sibling Tim was coaching. But as you’d expect from a teenager who barely spoke a word of English, moving across the other side of the Atlantic entirely on his own was a daunting task.
“That’s got to be the hardest challenge I’ve faced in life,” he told The National News about his early experiences in the United States. Ironically, the PGA Tour champion majored in communications during his time at college but struggled to understand anything his classmates said in his first year. The sheer size of Rahm’s campus made things more difficult, too. Having lived all his life in a small fishing village home to just 1500 residents, he suddenly found himself surrounded by 50,000 students.
Rahm also didn’t receive much support from his father Edorta, particularly when it came to the initial journey. Speaking to PennLive, the sportsman recalled, “My dad literally just dropped me off at the airport, and said, ‘Goodbye, son. Let me know when you get there.'” Edorta also reportedly told him, “If you don’t like it, the worst that will happen is you can learn English.”
