Jon Rahm has done it again. Another win for the books. Pushed his limits once again. Finished as champion, once again.
The golfer from Barrika had a majestic performance this Sunday to take home the title in the BMW Championship, second PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoff. The definitive moment was after defeating Dustin Johnson on the first hole of the tie breaker, with an epic putt from twenty meters out, which will go down in PGA Tour history. A putt for all eternity.
And not only because it was a whopping 20 meters long, but also because it happened just minutes after Dustin Johnson landed another impossible putt from 13 meters away, forcing the tie break. The ultimate showdown. Resilience. Incredible reaction from Jon Rahm. That same inner strength he demonstrated in order to win the tournament with an initial round of 75 shots on Thursday. A score that seemingly eliminated all possibilities to win in a tournament reminiscent of the US Open.
But Jon, as you already know, always believes in himself, always pushes his limits, always strives to go above and beyond. He made his calculations, and to him, it added up. He needed to play well the rest of the tournament, and it would be possible. He didn’t manage to pull off the comeback he was hoping for on Friday, but his game improved significantly, and he held his ground. And on Saturday, he unleashed the fury. His game continued to improve, and he went on to achieve that epic comeback he was in search of with a partial score of ten under par over the weekend, and just one bogey, in an atmosphere much like that of the US Open. One bogey, by the way, which happened as a result of a penalty for not marking his ball on the green by mistake.
Nothing and no one could stop Jon. Not even the slip-up with the marker, which could have resulted in a major obstacle, nor Dustin Johnson’s putt on the 72nd hole. Nothing. Jon continued on with his head held high, all eyes on the road ahead, onward and upward.
His win in the BMW Championship, the first from a Spanish golfer in a playoff, will always be remembered by that twenty-meter-long birdie putt on the first hole of the tie break, but also by the way Jon’s spectacular game of golf unfolded throughout the 18 holes. His game from tee to green was exemplary, and he caught 17 out of 18 greens, exceptional stats on such a tremendously demanding course as the North Course at Olympia Fields.
With this victory, Jon will go into the FedEx Cup Final in second place, starting this coming Thursday. In other words, he’ll be going into the tournament with a -8, two shots from Dustin Johnson. Additionally, he’s solidified his spot as Number Two in the world, very close to DJ, and has landed his second win of the season in the PGA Tour, which he has never done before. Another milestone to cross off the list.