Jon Rahm regains No.1 spot with latest PGA tour win

Jon Rahm returns to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking with his third PGA Tour win in 2023, at the Genesis Invitational in California.

The Spaniard, who was last ranked world number one in March 2022, has now returned to the top after a two-under 69 in the final round on Sunday to beach American Max Homa by two shots.

This tour win sees Rahm replace American Scottie Scheffler, who was nine shots adrift at Rivera Country Club, as the world’s number one.

Jon Rahm has displayed excellent form recently. The 28-year-old golfer won his fifth victory in the last nine worldwide starts, dating back to October 2022 to the ‘Open de España’ presented in Madrid where the Spaniard outperformed his idol, Seve Ballesteros.

“Beating Seve, I know he didn’t play full time on the PGA Tour and I know five of these wins are majors, but still, to reach that milestone of double-digit wins is pretty incredible. And to do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history and hosted by the man himself, Tiger Woods, it’s a true honour,” shared Rahm.

Rahm began the final round with a remarkable three-shot lead but later fell a stroke behind Homa following his third bogey of the day on the 12th. A great comeback by Homa which at the time gave him a comfortable lead ahead of the Spaniard.

Jon Rahm then shifted up a gear with a series of great hits to place him in front again. Homa then dropped a shot at the 13th due to an errant tee shot, giving Rahm a comfortable lead, thanks to a 45-foot birdie putt in the 14th from the Spaniard.

Following the golfing display, Rahm then gave himself a two-shot cushion thanks to his brilliant tee shot inside three feet on the 16th hole, setting up another birdie!

During the final two holes, Rahm safely parred his way to the final sections of the tournament, finishing the tournament on 17 under par. A great victory and an even better comeback from the Spaniard placing him at the top of the PGA Tour.

Since his professional debut in 2016, Jon Rahm has accumulated ten PGA tour titles and eight international victories. The Basque golfer closed his 2022 season by winning the European Tour’s season-ending championship, with a remarkable series of swings that placed him two shots ahead of rivals Tyrell Hatton and Alex Noren.

Rahm began his 2023 season by reaching the final round at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, making up a six-shot deficit into the final round.

Later that month, the Spaniard won the American Express tournament, shooting 27 under par for four rounds to beat Davis Thompson by one shot.

Following his victory over Davis Thompson, Rahm would go on to another final at the Farmers Insurance Open but would fall short to Sam Ryder.

Jon Rahm was born in Barrika, a Basque town in the north of Spain. He started developing his swings at an early age in Spain, golfing in youth tournaments around Madrid and the Basque country.

He would later go on to study at Arizona State University where he began his professional golfing career. Rahm grew up a keen supporter of the Basque football team Athletic Club Bilbao and was honoured as the club’s special guest at a game in December 2019.

Starting 2023 with a complete victory on the green, climbing back to No.1 in the rankings with a great display of golf. So far this year, the Spaniard has accumulated $9.8mn in earnings, almost doubling his great performance in 2022. There seem to be no limits for Jon Rahm and the champion doesn’t seem to lack ambition, only good news for the golfing community!