Jon Rahm was in the fight for the win once again up until the very last painstaking moment in the Dean & DeLuca Invitational, PGA Tour tournament held on the legendary Colonial Country Club course in Dallas, Texas.
Rahm went into it with the option to force the tie with Kevin Kisner on the 18th hole. In fact, he had a putt for birdie from slightly over three meters to make it into the playoffs. The ball, not wanting to cooperate throughout the whole day on the greens, didn’t want to land in the hole and in the end, Rahm tied for an exceptional second place with Jordan Spieth and Sean O’Hair.
Rahm had a magnificent performance in a setting that brought back very good memories. It was there where he received the Ben Hogan award the past two years for best college golfer. Now, he made his debut as a professional and played on the course for the first time, and he definitely did not disappoint. Quite the contrary.
Jon was the one who put the most pressure on Kevin Kisner on the last holes, and they were playing alongside each other. It was a passionate duel, very even at that, which went Kisner’s way because of his accuracy on the greens. Rahm was brilliant from tee to green and left uncountable options for birdie from between three to six meters, but the putt never quite came through. If it had, there is no doubt that he would have taken home the jacket and the trophy for the win at Colonial.
Jon shot a 66, 69, 70 and 66 in four rounds, speaking wonders to his persistence and consistency. He didn’t lose any one of the battles against the Ben Hogan course, which only five golfers can say. The tournament started out well; he played with Sergio García and Si Woo Kim. Rahm made it to the top of the rankings right off the bat, and he knew how to manage the wind that picked up quite a bit, especially on Friday and Saturday.
He went into Sunday with options, which was the main goal of the week, as always, and he fought to the death for the victory on the last 18 holes. He had some outstanding shots, like on the 17th, hidden by a tree on the fairway. He hit an incredible shot with a stellar rightward spin which left the ball at a meter and a half from the hole. He landed the birdie.
In the end, Jon didn’t take home the win, but there is nothing to regret in the process. His stats continue to be extraordinary, and above all, he proved the first chance he got that the third round of THE PLAYERS was an accident.
In the eleven tournaments played in 2017, Jon has accumulated none other than a win and six top 5s. More than half the times, he’s had clear options to take home the trophy. Strength and soundness in the face of danger. He continues to be in fourth place in the FedEX Cup rankings.