The 27-year-old Spaniard has arrived in Boston on the back of a run of form best described as “mediocre.” Yes, there was a victory in the Mexico Open at Vidanta, but the field that week is best described as, you guessed it, mediocre. Otherwise, Rahm has been, by his high standards, plodding along. In 11 other PGA Tour starts this year, he has only four top-10s.

Still, as he was quick to emphasise, no one has ever won a U.S. Open playing anything like perfect golf.

“I've already won a major, so I feel like a lot of the pressure I used to put on myself is not really there,” he insisted. “I feel like I can enjoy it a little bit more and know that you don't need to do anything special to get it done.”

On the upside, Rahm’s final warm-up for his defence of the strangely nameless trophy produced a T10 finish at The Memorial Tournament in Ohio. Solid stuff. And enough to give the seven-time PGA Tour winner a good feeling in his sturdy bones. In describing The Country Club course, Rahm was positively giddy in his positivity. There was certainly a lot of love involved.

Rahm played some holes with regular practice partner Phil Mickelson on Tuesday at The Country Club. PHOTO: Warren Little/Getty Images.

“I think it's a wonderful course,” he enthused. “I like to think of myself as a bit of a historian of the game, so to come to a place like this where (1913 U.S. Open champion) Francis Ouimet came to the fore is exciting.

“I love to hear the stories and the nuances about a golf course like this. Especially the clubhouse. I've never gone to a golf course where there's a town before you see the course. It's a beautiful design. I always love coming to places and courses that were designed so long ago because even though they add tee boxes, the uniqueness of the architecture from back then still stands.”

Ah, but it didn’t take long to dampen Rahm’s mood. Which was not unexpected. Earlier, Rahm had played nine holes in the company of close friend and LIV Golf’s unofficial front man, Phil Mickelson. So the inevitable questions ensued. As did Rahm’s attempt to adopt Swiss nationality.

“I feel for (PGA Tour commissioner) Jay Monahan,” he said. “He has had to deal with COVID and now this. I consider the PGA Tour has done an amazing job giving us the best platform to perform. I do see the appeal that other people see in LIV Golf. I do see some of the – I’ll put this delicately – points or arguments they can make towards why they prefer it.”

Rahm did admit that he and his wife, Kelley, had gone as far as discussing the prospect of him making a leap of faith into the Arabian Sea.

“We started talking about it,” he said. “But will our lifestyle change if I got $400 million? No, it will not change one bit. Truth be told, I could retire right now with what I've made and live a very happy life and not play golf again.

“I love to hear the stories and the nuances about a golf course like this ... I always love coming to places and courses that were designed so long ago because even though they add tee boxes, the uniqueness of the architecture from back then still stands.” - Jon Rahm.

“I've never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons. I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I've always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.

“There's meaning when you win the Memorial Tournament,” he continued. “There's meaning when you win Arnold Palmer's event at Bay Hill. There's meaning when you win, L.A., Torrey, some of the historic venues. That to me matters a lot.”

All of which doesn’t sound as if Rahm is joining the likes of Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia in what he dismissed in his own brand of shorthand as, “Shotgun, three days to me is not a golf tournament, no cut.”

Mention of Sergio did get Rahm going though. The Iberian pair have combined to generally positive effect in the last Ryder Cup, winning all three of their matches.

“Sergio has given golf, the European Tour and the PGA Tour 20-25 years of his life,” said Rahm. “If his decision is to go play and play less events and enjoy his life, it's his decision. It's not my job to judge.

“I think the one thing that keeps coming to me out of all this is that I hope the Ryder Cup doesn't suffer. That's one of my biggest concerns. It's an event we all play for free, and it's one of our favourite weeks, win or lose. I think that says a lot about the game and where I wish it would be at.”

Which brought him full circle. Can Rahm claim a second major victory this week? He wasn’t sure. But he will try his best, especially now that he knows the winning formula.

“It's a U.S. Open,” he concluded. “You need everything. You need to drive well, hit your irons well, chip well, and putt well and be mentally sane for four days.”

Sounds easy when you say it quickly. Not so much when you have to do all of the above four days in succession.