Jon Rahm is known for his intense focus on the golf course and for his playful side, which he recently showcased in a memorable prank on LIV Golf’s iconic Phil Mickelson.
What began as a harmless joke revealed an unexpected flaw in one of the sport’s most experienced stars: a surprising inability to navigate basic rangefinder settings.
During a 2v2 match earlier this year, Mickelson and Grant Horvat found their yardages mysteriously displayed in meters, leading to chaos on the green.
Rahm, teaming up with NFL’s Josh Allen, mischievously pulled the same trick. When pressed, he feigned innocence:
“Like I’m the only one who plays meters here? We have three Europeans!”
The comment drew laughter, not just for the joke itself, but because Mickelson couldn’t reverse the metric setting. Rahm couldn’t resist calling out his veteran rival’s unfamiliarity with modern gear:
“I’m amazed that he’s been in golf for this long and he has no idea how to change it from yards to meters or anything at all. He kind of started it, right? He did it to Grant on a video, which I don’t know how he did because he has no idea how to change it himself,” he shared during a press conference in Dallas.
For a golfer of Mickelson‘s caliber, a six-time major champion with 45 PGA Tour wins, still competing in LIV Golf, this minor tech hurdle struck a chord. Rahm’s prank didn’t just showcase his lighter side-it quietly spotlighted how quickly golf equipment has advanced.
An unexpected tech lesson in the middle of a prank
Golf has evolved rapidly in recent years. Once, players relied on gut feel or caddies for yardage estimates.
Today’s rangefinders do all the heavy lifting-provided you know how to use them. Mickelson‘s hesitation illuminated just how deep the gap can run between old-school instincts and new-school tech.
Rahm noted that Mickelson had pulled similar pranks, once tricking Horvat and Allen by switching their rangefinder to meters before they realised their approach shots were a hundred yards shy.
But this time, the prank hit differently. Mickelson couldn’t simply switch back and held his tongue as Rahm gleefully poked fun during the press conference.
Yet while poking fun, Rahm insisted he’s not out to embarrass anyone:
“But if I do it to a pro, it could mess him up for the whole week, and I don’t want to do that.”
“The next idea I had… would be changing a driver setup… you can easily go with a wrench, change it, and put it back… But I need to find something else to just have a little bit of lighthearted fun,” he added.
Rahm‘s performance remains stellar. His game is top-tier. As of mid-June, he notched 21 consecutive top10 finishes in LIV Golf, though he acknowledged the smaller field size makes consistency easier.
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