How a bomb disposal expert who watched people die on the job is helping Jon Rahm cope with mental pressure of Ryder Cup
JON RAHM is coping with the extreme mental pressure on the course - thanks to the work of a bomb disposal expert.
The Spanish golfer will help lead the European team in this weekend’s Ryder Cup in Rome.
And while he leading the European charge on the fairways at Marco Simone, he will have the wise words of his mental coach ringing in his ears to ensure the only damage done is to the United States’ dreams of retaining the famous trophy.
That is because for the last nine years, Rahm has partnered with Joseba Del Carmen as his mental coach.
The star’s fellow Spaniard can offer plenty of advice on dealing with stress after spending 14 years in the Basque police’s bomb squad as an explosive device deactivator, witnessing people being killed and coming within one wrong move of his own death more than 100 times.
So when it comes to any crucial putts on the 18th green, Rahm is in very safe hands.
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Del Carmen, 56, told SunSport: “I feel more pressure when Jon is playing than disarming bombs! I can see moments where Jon is suffering and worry about him.
“It was very tense in the Basque country when I joined in the early 1990s, almost every day there was a bomb scare.
“I learnt to really enjoy getting everything prepared and building my mentality. At any point, I could receive a call to go and disarm a bomb.
“I deactivated 118 bombs in total. Some I couldn't deactivate because they had already exploded and others that had exploded I reconstructed. I came across 1,200 but only 119 were real bombs, the others were fake.
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“I loved the job but when I saw people die, that was the worst moment. You feel the terror in people and you know that if the bomb explodes you are no longer going to exist.
“I could be centimetres away from a bomb and not know what will happen but you have to have faith you will be fine. You have to keep calm, trust yourself completely and sometimes fear can help in those moments to keep your life.
“I was very thankful to get through each day.
“You have to accept maximum responsibility for the decisions and deal with the consequences.
“People are at their limits in that kind of situation or when they are competing. Deactivating bombs and sport have lots of similarities. My experience helps a lot in what I do now as a mental coach.”
Rahm, 28, earned a reputation as a hothead early in his career and was even disqualified from tournaments for his explosive outbursts.
But working with Del Carmen has enabled him to channel that fury positively.
His mental guru explained: “It’s important to show a range of emotions. For Jon, the anger was very strong.
Jon enjoys the Ryder Cup, it makes him feel like a child again
Joseba Del Carmen
“He had to direct it in a positive way towards what he wanted to achieve, allowing himself to fail and harness the anger in the best way to compete and not explode under the pressure.
“That's why you have to be very careful when trying to find perfection. He needs to be the boss of his own emotions. An important thing to do is to understand he deserves the success.”
Rahm certainly has plenty of success, spending 52 weeks as world No1 and winning two majors, including this year’s Masters.
Basque-born Del Carmen has been a key figure along the journey and the pair continue to speak online every few weeks to train Rahm’s brain.
He added: “I don't know how much of the success is down to me. But I know I have added to his tools to reach world No1 and supported Jon to grow as a person and player.
“I met Jon when he was 12. I was deactivating bombs and living at the golf course.
“We focus on the mental structure to work through problems. We set objectives and reflect on why we did or didn't meet them. We can prevent problems by detecting things in advance.
“On the Sunday when he won the Masters, he was in a very calm mental state and we want to work keeping that going at other tournaments.”
Rahm will be desperate to be part of a winning Ryder Cup team once again this weekend following the Parisian glory of 2018.
And Del Carmen is confident his friend can inspire a memorable weekend for Europe, despite the 12-man team featuring four rookies - Bob MacIntyre, Sepp Straka, Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg.
The former pro golfer and basketball player, who also worked for his family’s finance business, said: “We will have special preparation because Jon has extra responsibility as one of the leaders. It will be different because he must transmit the competitiveness for the team not just himself.
“Jon plays really well in a team, he played football as a kid so that helps. He has fun, he enjoys it, it makes him feel like a child again.
“The European team are building a good team spirit. I am absolutely convinced that Europe are going to win. I'm feeling good.”
Del Carmen helps other golfers and international footballers as well as companies and CEOs in the corporate world.
He also does sessions with World Cup winner Paulo Dybala.
Del Carmen added: “I work mainly on leadership within teams to transform the business. I want every individual to feel responsible for what is happening.
“With Paulo, we are working on ways to make him feel better so he feels that leadership for Argentina and Roma.”
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Asked for one piece of advice he would give to everyone, Del Carmen pondered for a few moments before concluding: “Be in the present and treat it like a gift, like a present. You should feel like you are enjoying opening a present in every moment.”
And every European golf fan will be hoping Rahm can help wrap up the best gift of all in Rome this weekend.
