Jon Rahm: Spain’s world number one destined for golfing greatness

In a sport notorious for offering very few guarantees, it still feels fair to bet that Spain’s Jon Rahm is destined for golfing greatness.

Of course, in different times Ballesteros had far fewer opportunities for success on the American circuit, but Rahm’s current rate of progress is astonishing and even earning comparisons with 15-times major winner Tiger Woods.

“He is a spectacular golfer,” said Max Homa after being beaten into second place by the Basque golfer at famed Riviera last Sunday.

“I would say other than Tiger, he’s the most consistent player I’ve seen. I’ve known him since college and he’s been like this since then, number one amateur in the world, number one player in the world, all the accolades.”

This was Rahm’s fifth win in his last nine starts; his third victory from his most recent half dozen events. He has banked prize money of nearly $10m in 2023 alone and is currently 93 under par for the still fledgling year.

The revamped world rankings are in a state of flux but there can be no arguing with his return to the top of the tree, succeeding Rory McIlroy and then Scottie Scheffler – whose reign after winning in Phoenix has been limited to a single week.

“The guy’s incredible,” Homa added. “Rory, Jon and Scottie are kind of in a league of their own at times and it’s just our job to go catch them.”

Rahm was vexed at the end of last year when his November victory at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, his second victory in three weeks, did not result in a climb from number five in the world.

The man who is back on top of the standings knows exactly what he is achieving at the moment.

“I don’t need a ranking to tell me – to validate anything,” he said.

As for comparisons with Woods – who had won 39 PGA Tour events, including eight majors, by the time he turned 28 on 30 December 2003 – the thoughtful Rahm again knows where he sits in the pecking order.

“How many times had he done this at the age of 28?” Rahm observed. “It’s absolutely incredible.

“I’ve been able to match a very small aspect of it and hopefully I can keep doing a lot of great things this year to put my name up there to one of his years.

“But the fact that he was able to do it year after year after year including swing changes and golf style changes, it’s pretty remarkable.

“I’ve been able to appreciate Tiger for a very long time and admire him, but it’s taken me six years as a professional to get to this point.”

Rahm’s big challenge is to convert this imperious form into major victories. Again, very few guarantees, but Riviera with its demanding design, firm greens and quality of field is a pretty reliable indicator for the biggest events, particularly the Masters.

Four of the…