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.

La entrada Rahm has a special connection with Mexico aparece primero en Jon Rahm.

It wasn’t his best week physically either, seeing as how Jon was a bit under the weather with the always uncomfortable allergies. In any event, he was brilliant off the tee and very accurate on the putter. The only aspect of the game that wasn’t up to its usual standard of excellence were the shots to green. He wasn’t able to place them as close as he’s used to.

However, where he really lost the possibility to fight for the win was on the first two holes. They were accessible, and the majority of the golfers took advantage of this jump start at the Club de Golf Chapultepec, while the golfer from Barrika made par on each one, with two double bogeys.

Be that as it may, Jon didn’t leave empty handed. The 21 birdies he made in Mexico to finish in the top 20 were worth triple. Rahm decided to donate one thousand dollars for every birdie and three thousand for every eagle, which his sponsor, Isagenix, as well as the company Unifin decided to match. And that they did. In the end, he donated 63,000€ in total to the Red Cross foundation in Mexico to help the victims of the earthquakes.

La entrada A total of 21 birdies which counted for three this week aparece primero en Jon Rahm.

Thus, it’s inevitable that Rahm has a special connection with Mexico. A lot has happened there, the majority very good things. That’s why the golfer from Barrika didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to return, and to give something back to everyone who had welcomed him and treated him so well. He decided to donate to the Mexican Red Cross Association this week, one thousand euros for every birdie and three thousand euros for every eagle. The funds will go to victims who have suffered from the recent earthquakes that struck throughout Mexico.

The Mexicans were thrilled with Jon’s initiative, and so was everyone else involved with the tournament. In fact, one of his main sponsors, Isagenix, has announced that they will match Rahm’s donation, amount to be determined at the end of the tournament based on his performance.

The WGC Mexico Championship started yesterday, and so far so good. Rahm shot a 67 in the first round and is currently in seventh place, working his way up through the top ten of the tournament. He made seven birdies on the first 18 holes, three of which were on the first four holes. He has managed to raise 6,000€ so far, twelve thousand if we add the donation from Isagenix.

Rahm feels at home on the Chapultepec course. It’s a design based on the risk-reward concept, something that fascinates the Spanish golfer. “You can take risks with the driver, cutting corners, and you can get a real advantage there. I love that”, he assured yesterday after the first round.

Keep in mind that Jon is playing in the first two rounds with Dustin Johnson, Number 1 in the world, and Justin Thomas, Number 3. That means, although it’s a remote possibility, that Rahm could leave Mexico as the new number 1 in the world. However, the only viable option to accomplish this hefty feat is to win.

La entrada A sports and charity event aparece primero en Jon Rahm.

The golfer from Barrika now has world golf’s golden ticket and thus the possibility to open doors to some of the most important tournaments in the world after the majors. Jon will start the WGC México Championship off, directly made possible after the results at Doral, on the 10th tee, with two of the best golfers in the world: Martin Kaymer, Ryder hero and ex Number 1 in the world, and American golfer Gary Woodland.

Rahm will make his debut in the World Championships on a very demanding course, narrow off the tee and, most importantly, where controlling the distances will be the determining factor in the outcome. It’s not easy to commit to a shot when you have to hold back on the swing much more so than usual due to the altitude. It’s almost a question of faith. The caddie’s job and confidence in the previous training done to prepare for the course will be fundamental.

Not much drive on this course, as long as you take on a more conservative stance off the tee. It isn’t quite so clear to Jon. He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of breaking out the driver if he sees it as crucial to shoot above the trees. The reality is that if he finds that fine line, he can gain a lot of ground on his opponents who opt for the iron.

As with all world championships, the WGC Mexico Championship is composed of four rounds and there is no cut. A magnificent way to break in his recently acquired European Tour membership. At the moment, Jon is an affiliated member. This week he will start to accumulate points to earn the card at the end of the year.

La entrada Rahm gets golf’s golden ticket aparece primero en Jon Rahm.

Rahm will now be able to earn Race to Dubai presented by Rolex ranking points, beginning this week at the WGC–Mexico Championship, while Rahm will also be eligible to earn Ryder Cup points when the race to qualify for Thomas Bjørn’s European Team for Paris 2018 begins.

Providing he stays inside the world’s top 50, Rahm would be eligible to play in any of the first five tournaments in the European Tour’s new Rolex Series – an alliance of eight events each with a minimum prize fund of US$7million.

Rahm has already represented Spain in the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf, finishing eighth alongside 2016 Ryder Cup star Rafa Cabrera Bello in Australia last November.

He was born in the Spanish town of Barrika before studying at Arizona State University, where he was the world’s top-ranked amateur before bursting onto the professional scene with six top 25 finishes in nine starts on the PGA Tour last season before his breakthrough win in January.

Rahm said: “It means a lot to me to join the European Tour – I’m European after all! I have always wanted to play the Ryder Cup and I have always wanted to be a member of the European Tour. I have obviously taken a different approach to tour life than a lot of other Europeans who went to college in the States, but I thought this was my best shot. I’m surprised I have been able to take this opportunity so early but it’s great to be able to join.

“I have so many memories of the European Tour – one that stands out was watching Justin Rose’s hole-in-one on the third hole at the Volvo Masters the year he won the Order of Merit at Valderrama. I remember Miguel winning the French Open; Pablo winning the French Open and then Pablo and Sergio’s play-off at the BMW International too. I’m really looking forward to playing some tournaments on the European Tour.”

La entrada Rahm joins the European Tour aparece primero en Jon Rahm.