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Jon Rahm appropriately took over the world No.
1 position on Sunday after finally securing his first major
victory at the age of 26.
It speaks to Rahm's talent that the only surprise is that it
took him five years as a professional to secure one of the four
championships that comprise the grand slam.
But when the Spaniard slammed the door shut on Louis Oosthuizen
with clutch birdie putts at the final two holes on Sunday, the
wait was over.
"He was a major champion-in-waiting. It was just a matter of
time," said Rory McIlroy, among those vanquished by Rahm.
"He's won two tournaments in a row. I don't care what anyone
says."
McIlroy was referring to the positive coronavirus test that
knocked Rahm out of the recent Memorial tournament when he had a
six-shot lead with one round left.
"He had that title," McIlroy said.
"It was unfortunate at the end of the day, but he's been playing
some really, really good golf. Mentally, I think you have to be
in a good place to bounce back from something like that."
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Rahm was the world's top amateur when he left Arizona State
University with a short, unique swing that was almost as quick
as his famously hot temper.
Renowned as a gentle giant off the course, he frequently snapped
on it after a bad shot.
And while certainly not unique in that regard, it was not a
reputation he wanted his baby boy, Kepa, to grow up watching.
He perceived a new attitude at last month's PGA Championship and
it carried over at the U.S. Open.
"I believe it's because I really set out myself to be an example
for my son that he would be proud of, and I've done some stuff
in the past on the golf course that I'm not proud of, and I wish
I could eliminate it," Rahm said.
"But I've accepted it. I'm not saying it's going to be smooth
sailing until the end, but ... in the past I've gotten
frustrated in the U.S. Open.
"I've made a lot of birdies and a ton of bogeys and double
bogeys, and I was able to kind of switch it up this week and
actually made more birdies than bogeys."
Rahm's victory capped off a drama-filled U.S. Open Sunday that
had it all: a close finish, a collapse by the defending
champion, a ball up a tree and even a golf club-carrying
streaker who ran onto the 13th fairway wearing what appeared to
be a gay pride flag.
The man even had time to take a few impressive-looking swings
before being finally apprehended by the long arm of the law.
The incident was just another footnote to a major season that
has produced the first Japanese player to win a major (Hideki
Matsuyama at the Masters), the oldest-ever major champion (Phil
Mickelson at the PGA Championship) and now the first Spanish
winner of the U.S. Open.
Next up, the British Open at Royal St. George's next month.
It will take something pretty special to provide a fitting
finale to the 2021 major campaign that is already destined to go
down as one for the ages.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in San Diego; Editing by Matthew
Lewis)
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