There is no doubt, Jon Rahm is the hottest golfer on the planet right now.
Jon Rahm has become the first player since Johnny Miller in 1975 to win three times in the early part of a year, as he secured his third victory of 2023. The impressive performance also sees Rahm reclaim the World No. 1 ranking for the first time since March of last year.
Rahm’s latest triumph is part of an extraordinary run of form, with the Spanish golfer now having won five of his last nine starts.
Loaded At The Top
Golf is in good hands as no single player is absolutely dominating, but a handful of golfers have been on an unreal run for the last 12-15 months.
Jon Rahm’s remarkable consistency in regular stroke-play events continued this week as he secured another top-10 finish. In fact, Rahm hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 since July, an impressive feat by any standard.
Starting the week ranked third in the world, Rahm’s consistent play paid off as he surged past Scottie Scheffler to reclaim the coveted World No. 1 spot. Scheffler had only just claimed the top spot from Rory McIlroy last week after winning the WM Phoenix Open, but his T12 finish this week was not enough to maintain his reign.
Consistency Key For Rahm
“I guess I just keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Rahm said after the win. “You know, I’ve been obviously doing a lot of the things I needed to do properly every single day and that’s the important thing, right? Just keeping that daily process as good as I have been. Obviously, I’ve been extremely disciplined my whole career, but right now I’m seeing the dividends of a lot of the hard work over the years.”
Sunday Showdown With Max Homa
Rahm secured his victory at the Genesis Invitational with a clutch 46-foot putt from off the green on the 14th hole, which saw him
regain the lead from Max Homa. He sealed his triumph with an impressive tee shot on the 16th hole, landing the ball within three feet of the hole.
Rahm’s impressive performance on Sunday included a 69, which saw him finish the tournament at 17 under par, two strokes ahead of runner-up Max Homa. Homa, who hails from Southern California, recorded his first-ever runner-up finish on the PGA Tour, with half of his 12 career top-5 finishes being wins. He began the day three strokes behind Rahm but mounted a spirited challenge, pulling even with Rahm thanks to a birdie-birdie run on the 9th and 10th holes.
However, Rahm proved to be too strong in the end, contributing to a two-shot swing on Riviera’s famous par-4 10th hole, which saw him make a bogey after playing his third shot over the green. Despite this setback, Rahm held his nerve and went on to claim his third victory of the year. His remarkable display of skill and composure is sure to make him a golfer to watch in future tournaments.
“I’m very proud. I did not have it off the tee today, but man, I fought. I really just wanted to push [Rahm],” Homa said after his second place finish. “He is a spectacular golfer. I would say other than Tiger and I don’t even know, he’s the most consistent player I’ve seen.
“I’m not disappointed in my golf, I’m just disappointed in the ending.”
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