ASU Golf: Rahm’s Incredible Shot Inches him Closer to No. 1 Worldwide
Former Arizona State golfer Jon Rahm has taken himself to the next level on the PGA tour. After winning another tournament, the BMW Championship on Sunday, he inched closer to the number one spot in the world rankings when they were released on Monday. The 66-foot putt that Rahm hit to give him the victory over the number one overall player on the tour will leave your jaw dropped.
After his win, Rahm explained how he felt right before his epic putt. "I grew up in golf courses with a lot of slopes, so putts with slope is something I enjoy, I like and am comfortable reading and putting," he said to reporters live on Twitter.
He then described what he saw on the green when he stood behind the ball. "I could see the first 2/3 or 3/4 of the putt, pretty much steady left to right break, and then you get to the big slope at the top of that hill, and it's going to start a quick right and then at the end it's going to start turning left towards the bowl and pin," he said.
That shot came after Dustin Johnson's unreal birdie to send the two into a playoff. But Rahm had an answer as the pressure was all on him with the top-ranked golfer breathing down his neck.
The stress levels were high for Rahm, but he was able to calm down and be aggressive. "I still can't believe what happened in the last hour of play. There was a lot of joy on the golf course for me today," he said.
Rahm struggled on Thursday and Friday, putting himself at six-over-par heading into the weekend. But he rebounded during the final 36 holes of the tournament, shooting 10-under par to capture the overtime victory and the trophy.
This was the second PGA Tour win for the 25-year-old in the shortened season. He's only missed one cut on the year in 14 events while finishing in the top-3 five times, and top-10 in half of the tournaments he's played in thus far. The Spaniard has held the top spot on two occasions since the tour's restart, including a 4-week stint in first place during July and August. Johnson remains world No. 1 for a second straight week, but his advantage dropped from 0.34 average points to 0.08 after his runner-up finish.
Rahm played golf with the Sun Devils from 2012-2016, winning 11 collegiate tournaments during that time. While at ASU, he was a 2-time PING All-American and won the Ben Hogan Award for being the best college golfer during his junior year in 2015.
Rahm's ability to convert epic highlight putts is just one of many reasons his name is gaining traction in the world of golf. He is currently ranked 2nd on the planet but has a chance to surpass Johnson for the crown atop the standings at the season finale during this week's Tour Championship at East Lake.