Jon Rahm on a Quest to Join Elite Company in 2023
Jon Rahm has had an impressive start to 2023, racking up 77 pars, 59 birdies or eagles and 54 under in eight PGA Tour rounds in January. He’s looking to become the first player since Tiger Woods in 2008 to start a calendar year without losing to a single golfer over his first three tournaments.[0]
Rahm’s last ten starts worldwide have seen him win four tournaments and lose to fewer players on average per event (3.6).[1] His most recent victory came at The American Express on Sunday, making it back-to-back victories on the PGA Tour and four wins in his last six starts worldwide.
This win moved him up to fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking, and was his third career finish at 27 under or better, the most in PGA Tour history.[2] He commented after the win that he “feels like [he] can get a lot better”, and that despite shooting 64s, he could find mistakes in every single round he’s played.
Rahm’s next stop is the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where he became the first Spanish player to win the U.S. Open in 2021.[1] Should he prevail in this year’s tournament, he will join esteemed company.
For the past year, the topic of ranking golfers has been highly popular, particularly since some golfers from different tours shifted to LIV golf but consequently lost their world ranking points.[3] The ranking of LIV players has been declining rapidly, similar to the anvil Wile E. Coyote attempts to drop on the Road Runner.[3] It will be interesting to see if Rahm can continue his impressive form and break into the top rankings, or if he will be one of the many casualties of the tumultuous golf rankings of late.
0. “Forget the rankings, Jon Rahm continues to leave no doubt he's the best golfer in the world right now” CBS Sports, 23 Jan. 2023, https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/forget-the-rankings-jon-rahm-continues-to-leave-no-doubt-hes-the-best-golfer-in-the-world-right-now/
1. “Jon Rahm to begin bid for hat-trick of PGA Tour wins with ‘very high hopes'” The Independent, 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/jon-rahm-torrey-pines-dustin-johnson-rory-mcilroy-american-express-b2268124.html
2. “Rahm, Henderson and more weekly trends from the PGA, LPGA” ESPN, 23 Jan. 2023, https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/35507321/jon-rahm-brooke-henderson-pga-lpga-more-week-golf
3. “Memo to Jon Rahm: A New Idea for The World Rankings” Pro Golf Now, 20 Jan. 2023, https://progolfnow.com/2023/01/19/world-ranking-professional-golfers/