Jon Rahm finished the ZOZO Championship in second place, PGA Tour tournament held on the Sherwood Country Club course in California. The tournament’s debut in the PGA Tour was in 2019, headquarters in Japan, but this second edition was moved to the US due to the coronavirus pandemic, which is affecting the entire planet.
Rahm had a sensational performance on the course which, during many years, was host to the Tiger Woods tournament. The Basque golfer truly shined, and was in the fight for the win up until the last two holes. It was so tight, in fact, that he had two solid opportunities for birdie on the 17th and 18th holes to force a tie break with Patrick Cantlay, the tournament winner.
Rahm’s game unfolded flawlessly at the Sherwood Country Club. He left the inconsistency in his swing behind last week in the CJ Cup. He discovered something in his movement which allowed him to regain the habitual consistency and solidity in his long game. He shot all four rounds under 70, and on Saturday, his true colors came out when he shot a 63, which skyrocketed his position in the rankings.
He was in the fight for the win up until the very last breath on Sunday. What was a thrilling head to head battle with Justin Thomas, turned into a fight among three with Patrick Cantlay, who took home the title in the end.
Jon’s birdie on the 11th hole of the last round positioned him as sole leader in the ZOZO, with seven holes left to play, however, he was dethroned rapidly with two consecutive bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes. The key point was the shots to green. According to Rahm, after signing the card, two unexpected bouts of wind took both Rahm and his caddie by surprise, which resulted in both shots falling short, for which he paid a very high price with two bogeys. That’s when the tournament slipped out from under his fingertips, but he never let up.
In the end, those two good opportunities came on the 17th and 18th holes. Justin Thomas no longer had the possibility to win, but Rahm left the door open up until the very end. He wasn’t able to land his putts, and thus, he had to conform with a triumphant second place, which allowed him to accumulate many points in the FedEx, and above all, to bolster his confidence for the upcoming Masters Tournament.