The speed of Jon Rahm’s journey to the first place in the world should ensure that there is not a short stay left. And the 25-year-old Spaniard won’t need to swing a club in anger this week – he won’t be playing at the 3M tournament in Minneapolis – but he will still be guaranteed to stay on top of the official world rankings, at least making sure his tenure will last longer than that of Tom Lehman in 1997, which lasted for a whole week!
In truth, Rahm is likely to stay on top or near the top for quite some time. Only two other players, one of which Tiger Woods, the other Jordan Spieth, reached number one position more quickly after turning professional in Rahm, whose victory in the Memorial tournament knocked Rory McIlroy off his perch.
McIlroy’s last bout at the top has come to both sides of the world rankings frozen for three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but every week since the reboot has brought with it an expectation of when, rather than if, Rahm would finally got the number one ranking. Winning a tournament, especially one such as the Memorial where Jack Nicklaus was the host, really suited him to one of his career goals.
For sure, the next box to check in terms of results will be for Rahm to claim a Major title, and that opportunity – behind closed doors – will be here quickly, with the United States PGA Championship next month in Harding Park. Although he has only played 13 Majors as a professional so far, Rahm Major’s abilities are evident as he took third place in the US Open (2019) ranking, fourth in the Masters (2018), fourth in the PGA (2018) and tied to the 11th place at the British Open (2019).
Indeed, since that third place in last year’s US Open, Rahm’s form has been exceptional: the rest of 2019 saw him win three times – the DDF Irish Open, Spanish Open and DP World – and, at that time time, he was out of the top five only four times in 12 appearances. As if to prove his fallibility, he lost a cut to Alfred Dunhill Links. This year, he had four top-10s from five exits before the break due to the pandemic and, after a slow reboot, he went up to Muirfield Village to reach the top of the world.
After winning last year’s Irish Open in Lahinch, Rahm spoke of his growing maturity. And that theme was again evident after his last win, the eleventh of his professional career worldwide.
“There is no possibility that I would have won this tournament four years ago, I can tell you,” Rahm said of the victory at the Memorial, adding: “I am a person who unfortunately I am fully aware of learning from mistakes. I act stupidly or not. I will do my action, and I will learn from it, for better or for worse. Fortunately I have been good enough to learn from my mistakes and improve a little every time … I will only say that I am happier and more mature as a person. so simple.”
Rahm, only the second Spaniard after Seve Ballesteros became the number one in the world, he added: “I made a deal with myself very young, I think at 13 or 14 I started working towards that goal, and all that that i did for golf has been becoming the number one in the world and becoming the best player i could be.
“It is quite surreal to think that it happened so quickly, right, in less than 10 years. I mean, how many people manage to achieve a lifelong dream, a short lifelong dream, in the mid-1920s? Is It is a rather unique feeling to be a Spaniard, the second Spaniard to ever do it, since there aren’t many Europeans who have come to this place, so I will have fun for a while. “
Indeed, Rahm is the tenth European player to reach number one in the ranking, joining a list that includes Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald, McIlroy and Justin Rose.
For McIlroy, who has had no less than eight different stints as the world’s number one, the longest is his fifth of 54 consecutive weeks from August 2015 to August 2016, it will be a case of returning to action at the WGC-St Jude Invitational of the next week it will be played again without spectators.
And, of all the players during this reboot, McIlroy – who only offered glimpses of his best, with an eleventh draw for Travelers that represents his best goal – is the one who seems to have lost the energy absorbed by the spectators during the events. On this front, there is still no trace of when fans will be admitted on the spot during tournaments with the PGA Tour which establishes that all events until the end of the season will be closed.
