Fans line up for his autograph, for a photo with him, a high five, or simply, to thank him. Jon Rahm is one of them. He’s idolized in Mexico. There is a very strong connection between the Aztec country and the golfer from Barrika.
The WGC Mexico Championship starts this Thursday, the first World Championship of the season, held at the Club de Golf Chapultepec. It was precisely in Mexico where Rahm played in the first tournament of his professional career in the PGA Tour, in 2014, many miles away from here in Cancun. Jon had just turned 20, and he competed in the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He ended up just one shot away from making it through to the weekend.
His idyll with Mexico will repeat itself in this edition of the World Championship tournament. He made his debut at Chapultepec in this event in 2017, where Jon played in his first WGC, and finished in third place, fighting to the bitter end for the win, head to head with Dustin Johnson who was the Number 1 in the World at that time.
As you can see, there is a very special bond. Last year, Jon made a significant donation to help victims of the tremendous earthquake that impacted Mexico just a few days before the tournament, and this year he’s already promised to do something if he wins. The feeling is mutual.
The tournament will commence this Thursday, and Jon’s sights are set on taking home the win. He’s had a superb track record these past two months. He’s made seven top tens in a row, including his win in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He feels comfortable in all aspects of the game at the moment, except for the medium irons, where he acknowledges he still has more to give. He doesn’t keep them as close as he’d like, but he has managed to find a way to get results with them, and to avoid problems.
Spain has never won a World Championship, and Rahm aspires to break that spell this year. Of course, it goes without saying that he will give everything he’s got in the process. On Thursday and Friday, he’ll play with Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed.