Jon Rahm won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by Rory McIlroy and thus, the hearts of the passionate and enthusiastic Irish fans. The golfer from Barrika took home his second win of the season this Sunday at Portstewart, the first of the European Tour, after an unforgettable performance that will most definitely go down in history in the eyes of all those lucky enough to have witnessed it.
Rahm won on the Strand Course in Portstewart, in the northern part of Northern Ireland, with an epic show, in the top of the pack from the start, opening the tournament with a round of 65 shots and closing with another even more impressive round, in worse weather conditions, wind and rain, 65 shots.
Jon managed to tame the links. Another feat to check off his pending to-do list. He never quite got the feel for these types of courses, nor as an amateur nor as a professional. Now he can’t say it’s not his forte. The scoreboard says it all in the end. Rahm took home the title with a total score of -24 (65-67-67-65), with a six-shot advantage over second place, and he even finished with a bogey on the 18th after missing a short putt when he already had his mind on other things.
There were a few key moments this Sunday that lead to Rahm’s definitive triumph at Portstewart. The first one was the magnificent recovery he made on the 2nd hole. His putt for par from five meters away set the tone for the round. Jon wasn’t about to bow down and make room for anyone.
The next decisive moment, obviously, was when he sank the ball on the 4th from the fairway for eagle after making an error off the tee. It was one of the best shots of the year in the European Tour. He made it with a 7 iron from 140 meters away from the hole. Spectacular. It was a direct message to all of his rivals. Something along the lines of how he’s not going to make things easy on anyone…He finished the tournament off with another eagle, yes, two in the same round. It happened on the 14th, after getting past the tough blow of the possible penalty on the green of the 6th hole, which didn’t go anywhere in the end. He made it from around ten meters out and shocked all of Ireland, from north to south entirely. He had the win in the bag with four holes to go. A luxury only allowed by a select few all-star golfers.
With this win in Europe, Rahm will now move up to eighth place in the world rankings and has solidified third place in the Race to Dubai, very close behind Sergio García, who is currently in second. The standing ovation with which he was received by Irish fans on the 18th hole was the perfect ending to a magical week. That very same ovation experienced by Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio García, the three Spanish golfers who won the Irish Open before Jon. Welcome to the club.