Jon Rahm began 2018 the same way he left off—with the pedal to the metal and the birdie machine running hot. The golfer from Barrika finished in a sole second place in the Sentry TOC, the PGA Tour tournament of champions. The tournament gathers all the best golfers in the world together in one place, which ended Sunday at the Kapalua Golf Resort in Hawaii on the Maui island.
Rahm had an exceptional performance, and finished just behind the Number 1 in the world, Dustin Johnson, star of one of the most memorable weeks of golf in a long time. The American golfer didn’t leave the option open for anyone, having finished eight shots ahead of Rahm for the win. The Spanish golfer came in first among the mortals.
Jon’s four rounds in Hawaii were all under par, with a notable improvement throughout the weekend, when he finished with 66 and 69 shots. That’s when Dustin Johnson went on attack mode. Rahm was the only one who stood a chance and gave the golfer from South Carolina a run for his money, although he was untouchable on Sunday and there was little left to do about it. After Johnson’s spectacular eagle on the 12th hole, Jon began to focus on second place, and his plan was perfectly executed. Second place ended up his and only his.
The Spanish golfer moved up one place in the world rankings after landing this second place. He is currently third, just behind Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, and continues to break records. At just 23 years old, he has become the fourth youngest golfer in history to take third place in the world rankings, after big-name golfers Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. Additionally, he is the fastest Spanish golfer to have achieved this feat, evidently, and the fourth in history, together with Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio García.
Rahm’s next tournament will be the CareerBuilder Challenge held in Palms Springs, California from the 18th to the 21st of January.