"Still have a hard time keeping up in a conversation" - Jon Rahm vows to make a better effort understanding Ryder Cup teammate’s accent this time

Jon Rahm and Robert MacIntyre are set to represent Europe in the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. The former recently spoke of not being able to fully understand the latter due to his accent, but vowed to make more effort to pay attention to him during the tournament.

During a press conference ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, Rahm shared his thoughts on playing with Scottish pro golfer MacIntyre in the biennial tournament. He praised him for being a “fantastic,” “accomplished,” and very “high-level” player, noting that he has won tournaments on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour within the past two years.

“I still have a hard time keeping up in a conversation with him [MacIntyre]. I try. I try very hard. There's a few people, especially a few caddies in the locker room that I still -- like Thomas's caddie, Iain, I think I get 45 percent of what he says. He needs to repeat a few things,” he said.

“Even Billy Foster sometimes, it requires a hundred percent of my attention to be able to get what he's saying and I still have difficulty. Sometimes it's the Spanish. Sometimes it's the American English. Bob, I'll make for of an effort. I'll make a better effort this time around,” Jon Rahm added.

Rahm also spoke about working with Jose Maria Olazabal, one of the vice captains for the European Ryder Cup team. He noted that the team is lucky to have Olazabal to guide them because the Spanish golfer has a lot of stories to tell about the iconic golfer, Seve Ballesteros.

John Rahm shared that he particularly enjoys Olazabal’s stories because they can converse together in Spanish, which makes the stories “come alive."

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"It's a different feeling" - Jon Rahm speaks on making the Ryder Cup

On September 1, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald announced Jon Rahm as his second captain’s pick for the 45th Ryder Cup. Speaking on the selection, the 11-time PGA Tour winner shared that he was overwhelmed with emotions even though it was not his first time playing in the Ryder Cup.

Jon Rahm expressed anticipation for the tournament ahead, saying that it’s going to be a “special” event. He also expressed hope that the European team would perform well in the tournament and go home with the trophy.

“It's a different feeling. I did not think I was going to be as emotional as I feel right now being picked... It's going to be special. You know, it's going to be special. I cannot wait to be in Bethpage,” he said.

Jon Rahm made his first Ryder Cup appearance in 2018, where he defeated 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods in the singles match. That year, Europe went home with the trophy,

Rahm competed in the tournament again in 2021 and 2023, and will make his fourth appearance in the event on September 26.