Player Profiles
Jon RAHM (Spain)
|
Born: 10 November 1994
Birthplace: Barrika, Basque Country, Spain College: Arizona State University Resides: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Major Wins: 0 Euro or PGA Tour Wins: 11 Other Wins: 1 Grass Preference: Unknown Significant Life Events: Yes GBC Wind Performance Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ GBC Pressure Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Profile
Jon Rahm (nicknamed ‘Rahmbo’) won the 2019 Race to Dubai after winning the season finale at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai (an event he also won in 2017). This capped his 3rd win of the season – a feat he also matched in 2017 and 2018.
A multiple winner on the PGA Tour, Jon is a top-10 machine with 17 from 25 starts in 2019 and ten from 19 starts in 2020. Between 2017 and 2020 he had more wins (11) than he did missed cuts (10)! His game suits just about any course in the world and it is expected he will be a multiple major champion.
Jon turned professional in 2016 after winning the low amateur at the U.S. Open and finished 3rd in his first event as a pro at the Quicken Loans National. In 2017 he won European Tour Rookie of the Year which caused controversy amongst his fellow pro’s, who felt that it should've gone to a more committed member of the tour. Outside the majors and WGCs, Rahm had played just four regular season European Tour events. He has gone from strength to strength since then including a runners-up finish at the 2018 WGC – Matchplay to Dustin Johnson.
Jon’s early weakness on Tour was his fiery temper which could be triggered if things aren’t going his way. This came to the fore at the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open where the red mist descended and he slammed his club into the ground. There are still examples of this temper coming to the fore but he is aware of it and working on eradicating it from his game.
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
Jon got married in December 2019 and he and his wife, Kelley, are expecting their first child in the summer (2021).
Jon also left club manufacturer Taylor Made to sign a club sponsorship deal with Callaway. Club changes can often take a while to bed in but Jon might be less affected given that he played Callaway clubs in college.
Stats Analysis
Long and Short Game - Jon has some of the strongest stats on tour. He has been in the Top 5 for SG: Off the tee since 2017; 3rd in 2017, 2nd in 2018 and 5th in 2019 making him one of the most consistent drivers of the ball on tour. He averaged 306 yards off the tee in 2019. He was much improved in two areas in 2019. SG: Approach the green climbed from 96th to 34th in the rankings and SG: Putting improved from 147th to 36th. The only area in which he went backwards was SG: Around the green dropping 20 places to 78th.
Round Scoring Average - Jon topped the Round 1 scoring average in 2019 and was also 6th for Round 3 scoring average. Interestingly he was only 87th and 70th for Round 2 and Round 4 scoring respectively.
Par Scoring Average - Finished 3rd for Par 4 scoring.
Trends
Stays Hot - Many recent examples of Jon’s wins following a Top-5 finish the previous week (which isn’t hard as he usually does anyway)! In 2019 his DP World Tour Championship win in Dubai followed his Open De Espana win and his 2019 Irish Open win followed a 2nd place. In 2018, his Hero World Challenge win followed a 4th place, Open de Espana win followed a 4th place and CareerBuilder Challenge win followed a 2nd place.
Favourite Tournament - 6 of his 9 wins have come at three events; Irish Open, Open De Espana and DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Major and WGC Analysis
Major's - Jon is a major champion waiting to happen and it is only a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’. In particular, he has the perfect game for The Masters and would be shocked if he didn’t have green jacket in the next few years. In his first four starts at Augusta he has finished 27th (2017), 4th (2018), 9th (2019) and 7th (2020). One of the best drivers out there and a short game to match, expect Jon to contend here.
He also has bagged a 4th place finish at the 2018 PGA Championship and a 3rd place finish at the 2019 U.S. Open Championship. For the Open Championship though, his best finish in four attempts was 11th in 2019. Jon has a good chance of winning any tournament he tees up, but it looks like he prefers the Stateside majors so far.
WGC's - Yet to win a WGC in his first 13 attempts which is surprising for one of the best talents we have seen in recent times. Been knocking at the door at the WGC – Mexico Championship with 3rd place finishes in 2017 and 2020. Runner up at the 2017 WGC –Matchplay and three top 30’s in as many starts at the WGC – Fed Ex St Jude Invitational. No Top 20’s in WGC – HSBCS Champions so again stick to the Stateside WGC’s for backing Jon Rahm.
Pressure Performance
January 2021 - Began the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open 2 shots behind Patrick Reed. Shot 72 to finish 6 shots behind Reed. A poor effort.
October 2020 - Trailed Justin Thomas by one shot going into the final round of the Zozo Championship. Was five under par through his first 11 holes to take the lead. He was unfortunate to bogey the 12th when he had a difficult stance in a bunker. However, a bogey on the par five 13th hole when he had an iron in his hand for his 2nd shot was unforgivable. Lost out by a shot to Patrick Cantlay.
August 2020 - Jon entered the final round three shots off the pace at the BMW Championship. Shot a sparkling 64 to make a playoff with Dustin Johnson before holing a 66ft birdie putt at the first playoff hole to win. Notable that he incurred a one shot penalty in the third round for picking his ball up without marking it.
July 2020 - Took a 4 shot lead into the final round of the Memorial Tournament. Stretched the lead to 8 shots after 9 holes however wobbled a bit in difficult conditions in the back 9, playing it in +5 (including a two-shot penalty for grounding his club illegally). In the end he was always comfortably ahead and won by 3 shots.
January 2020 – Held a one-stroke lead after 54 holes of the Farmers Insurance Open before shooting 70 to finish in 2nd place, 1 shot behind Marc Leishman who shot 65. Fell to 0-for-2 in his PGA Tour career with the 54-hole lead/co-lead.
November 2019 – Co-led with Mike Lorenzo-Vera after 54 holes at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and shot 68 to win by 1 shot ahead of Tommy Fleetwood. This included a closing birdie on the 72nd hole.
October 2019 – Won the Open De Espana by 5 shots. Saturday 63 gave him a 5 shot lead to take into the final round.
September 2019 – Co-led with Danny Willet after 36 and 54 holes in what became a two-horse race. Shot 70 to finish 3 shots behind Willet who shot 67.
August 2019 – Began final round 2 shots behind Patrick Reed and both shot 69, finishing 3rd place.
July 2019 – Shot a 62 to hold a 3 shot 18-hole lead at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational before finishing 7th, 6 shots back of Brooks Koepka after following it with 71-68-69.
July 2019 – Started the final round 5 shots back of 54-hole leader Robert Rock on route to a victory at the Irish Open. Closed with 62 to win by 2 shots over Andy Sullivan and Bernd Wiesberger who both shot 66.
Summary – Recent evidence suggests Jon is better coming from off the pace to win. Although he converted a 54-hole lead in Dubai, he has converted 1 out of 3 leads on the PGA Tour and he is not a certainty if leading by 1 or 2 shots. As seen in Ireland he can shoot low Sunday scores so should be backed if trailing by a few shots as he likes being aggressive. His Golf Betting Club Pressure Performance Rating remains at 4 stars despite his Zozo showing.
Playoff Record
2-0. Most recent playoff was at the 2020 BMW Championship where he defeated Dustin Johnson with a 66ft birdie putt. Defeated Andrew Landry with a birdie on the 4th extra hole to win the Career Builder Challenge in 2018.
Significant Quotes
Jon Rahm (nicknamed ‘Rahmbo’) won the 2019 Race to Dubai after winning the season finale at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai (an event he also won in 2017). This capped his 3rd win of the season – a feat he also matched in 2017 and 2018.
A multiple winner on the PGA Tour, Jon is a top-10 machine with 17 from 25 starts in 2019 and ten from 19 starts in 2020. Between 2017 and 2020 he had more wins (11) than he did missed cuts (10)! His game suits just about any course in the world and it is expected he will be a multiple major champion.
Jon turned professional in 2016 after winning the low amateur at the U.S. Open and finished 3rd in his first event as a pro at the Quicken Loans National. In 2017 he won European Tour Rookie of the Year which caused controversy amongst his fellow pro’s, who felt that it should've gone to a more committed member of the tour. Outside the majors and WGCs, Rahm had played just four regular season European Tour events. He has gone from strength to strength since then including a runners-up finish at the 2018 WGC – Matchplay to Dustin Johnson.
Jon’s early weakness on Tour was his fiery temper which could be triggered if things aren’t going his way. This came to the fore at the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open where the red mist descended and he slammed his club into the ground. There are still examples of this temper coming to the fore but he is aware of it and working on eradicating it from his game.
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
Jon got married in December 2019 and he and his wife, Kelley, are expecting their first child in the summer (2021).
Jon also left club manufacturer Taylor Made to sign a club sponsorship deal with Callaway. Club changes can often take a while to bed in but Jon might be less affected given that he played Callaway clubs in college.
Stats Analysis
Long and Short Game - Jon has some of the strongest stats on tour. He has been in the Top 5 for SG: Off the tee since 2017; 3rd in 2017, 2nd in 2018 and 5th in 2019 making him one of the most consistent drivers of the ball on tour. He averaged 306 yards off the tee in 2019. He was much improved in two areas in 2019. SG: Approach the green climbed from 96th to 34th in the rankings and SG: Putting improved from 147th to 36th. The only area in which he went backwards was SG: Around the green dropping 20 places to 78th.
Round Scoring Average - Jon topped the Round 1 scoring average in 2019 and was also 6th for Round 3 scoring average. Interestingly he was only 87th and 70th for Round 2 and Round 4 scoring respectively.
Par Scoring Average - Finished 3rd for Par 4 scoring.
Trends
Stays Hot - Many recent examples of Jon’s wins following a Top-5 finish the previous week (which isn’t hard as he usually does anyway)! In 2019 his DP World Tour Championship win in Dubai followed his Open De Espana win and his 2019 Irish Open win followed a 2nd place. In 2018, his Hero World Challenge win followed a 4th place, Open de Espana win followed a 4th place and CareerBuilder Challenge win followed a 2nd place.
Favourite Tournament - 6 of his 9 wins have come at three events; Irish Open, Open De Espana and DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
Major and WGC Analysis
Major's - Jon is a major champion waiting to happen and it is only a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’. In particular, he has the perfect game for The Masters and would be shocked if he didn’t have green jacket in the next few years. In his first four starts at Augusta he has finished 27th (2017), 4th (2018), 9th (2019) and 7th (2020). One of the best drivers out there and a short game to match, expect Jon to contend here.
He also has bagged a 4th place finish at the 2018 PGA Championship and a 3rd place finish at the 2019 U.S. Open Championship. For the Open Championship though, his best finish in four attempts was 11th in 2019. Jon has a good chance of winning any tournament he tees up, but it looks like he prefers the Stateside majors so far.
WGC's - Yet to win a WGC in his first 13 attempts which is surprising for one of the best talents we have seen in recent times. Been knocking at the door at the WGC – Mexico Championship with 3rd place finishes in 2017 and 2020. Runner up at the 2017 WGC –Matchplay and three top 30’s in as many starts at the WGC – Fed Ex St Jude Invitational. No Top 20’s in WGC – HSBCS Champions so again stick to the Stateside WGC’s for backing Jon Rahm.
Pressure Performance
January 2021 - Began the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open 2 shots behind Patrick Reed. Shot 72 to finish 6 shots behind Reed. A poor effort.
October 2020 - Trailed Justin Thomas by one shot going into the final round of the Zozo Championship. Was five under par through his first 11 holes to take the lead. He was unfortunate to bogey the 12th when he had a difficult stance in a bunker. However, a bogey on the par five 13th hole when he had an iron in his hand for his 2nd shot was unforgivable. Lost out by a shot to Patrick Cantlay.
August 2020 - Jon entered the final round three shots off the pace at the BMW Championship. Shot a sparkling 64 to make a playoff with Dustin Johnson before holing a 66ft birdie putt at the first playoff hole to win. Notable that he incurred a one shot penalty in the third round for picking his ball up without marking it.
July 2020 - Took a 4 shot lead into the final round of the Memorial Tournament. Stretched the lead to 8 shots after 9 holes however wobbled a bit in difficult conditions in the back 9, playing it in +5 (including a two-shot penalty for grounding his club illegally). In the end he was always comfortably ahead and won by 3 shots.
January 2020 – Held a one-stroke lead after 54 holes of the Farmers Insurance Open before shooting 70 to finish in 2nd place, 1 shot behind Marc Leishman who shot 65. Fell to 0-for-2 in his PGA Tour career with the 54-hole lead/co-lead.
November 2019 – Co-led with Mike Lorenzo-Vera after 54 holes at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and shot 68 to win by 1 shot ahead of Tommy Fleetwood. This included a closing birdie on the 72nd hole.
October 2019 – Won the Open De Espana by 5 shots. Saturday 63 gave him a 5 shot lead to take into the final round.
September 2019 – Co-led with Danny Willet after 36 and 54 holes in what became a two-horse race. Shot 70 to finish 3 shots behind Willet who shot 67.
August 2019 – Began final round 2 shots behind Patrick Reed and both shot 69, finishing 3rd place.
July 2019 – Shot a 62 to hold a 3 shot 18-hole lead at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational before finishing 7th, 6 shots back of Brooks Koepka after following it with 71-68-69.
July 2019 – Started the final round 5 shots back of 54-hole leader Robert Rock on route to a victory at the Irish Open. Closed with 62 to win by 2 shots over Andy Sullivan and Bernd Wiesberger who both shot 66.
Summary – Recent evidence suggests Jon is better coming from off the pace to win. Although he converted a 54-hole lead in Dubai, he has converted 1 out of 3 leads on the PGA Tour and he is not a certainty if leading by 1 or 2 shots. As seen in Ireland he can shoot low Sunday scores so should be backed if trailing by a few shots as he likes being aggressive. His Golf Betting Club Pressure Performance Rating remains at 4 stars despite his Zozo showing.
Playoff Record
2-0. Most recent playoff was at the 2020 BMW Championship where he defeated Dustin Johnson with a 66ft birdie putt. Defeated Andrew Landry with a birdie on the 4th extra hole to win the Career Builder Challenge in 2018.
Significant Quotes
