Jon Rahm may be "rusty" after the recent birth of his fourth child but the Spaniard is determined to have a good week at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship and play his way into the DP World Tour season finale in Dubai.
Rahm and wife Kelley last month welcomed daughter Begoña into the world, joining siblings Kepa, Eneko and Alaia in the clan.
The former World Number One had to miss the Open de España presented by Madrid for the first time in his career due to its proximity to Kelley's due date and also revealed he has struggled to practice at home in Phoenix due to local courses overseeding at this time of the year.
That also, however, meant he got to spend much valued time with the family and Rahm admitted as he faced the press at Yas Links that he had enjoyed the chance to just be a dad.
"I think each time is a different challenge," he said of juggling golf and a newborn. "This was the first time I was able to be at home the first week. The previous three, when we got home from the hospital, I picked up my bag and left. So it's been nice to be able to help.
"The one negative about this time of year was that for a few weeks, the golf courses in Arizona were going basically in overseed. So it was very nice to be at home and be able to help and support Kelley because obviously a lot that goes in with a newborn. So the other three need some supervision.
"So I was very happy to be able to be home and be dad for a little bit. It's been a long year and there's been a lot going on, so to live a little bit on what's more of reality, in a sense, doing what every other father out there does. I help them in the morning and take them to school and all the other fun things you get to do.
"I haven't been able to practise a lot of golf. So after a long flight yesterday, let's use the word 'rusty', is an understatement.
"But I would say there's a balance. I think the first time you become a parent is so new, it's very difficult. Then when you have another child, you think, 'oh, how easy it was to have only one or only two'. Now we think how easy it was to have only three.
"So it's a balancing act and early on it's very difficult because mum has to be with the baby and it falls on to me to take up the other three.
"But it's such a wonderful experience that when the time comes where I have to be practising, it falls a lot on mum in our case. I have to give so much credit to Kelley where she's willing to take on so much just so I can practise and play golf. So you need a strong partner to be able to take on that much and I've been very lucky in that regard."
Sitting 51st on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World, Rahm knows a decent week will see him be among the top 50 available players who go to next week's DP World Tour Championship.
Three of Rahm's joint-record five Rolex Series wins have come at Jumeirah Golf Estates and the 2023 Masters champion is eager to take on the Earth Couse again next week.
"No pressure. I look forward to it," he said. "This week and next week share some common similarities, Both golf courses, the greens are in great shape. And I would say what's done me really well in the past in Dubai is how well I've played off the tee. If I can summon that, obviously, I think it could be really a good two weeks.
"Very few golf courses are going to be in better shape than this one... every blade of grass is exactly where it's supposed to be. It can get firm if they want to get it firm. It can get fast if they want to get it faster. But with the wind blowing as much as it can here, it probably won't be much faster.
"It is a golf course where you can see scores being low, how it has been in the past with the greens being that good nowadays, which if you can put in the fairway, which are not the narrowest fairways in the world, you can be aggressive. You can afford to go at pins and people are going to have a lot of looks at birdie. Hopefully I can be one of those guys at the end of the week."
