His first year as a pro had already been exceptional. Victories on both the U.S. PGA Tour and European Tour, named Rookie of the Year on the latter, and a meteoric rise to fifth in the world rankings. Then it got even better.
Competing in the final event of the 2017 European season, the 23-year-oid carded a closing 67 to win the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai as a late slip from Justin Rose handed Tommy Fleetwood the Race to Dubai title.
Rose had looked on course to claim both the eighth Rolex Series event of the season and the Race to Dubai as he turned in 32 but three bogeys on a dramatic back nine brought him back to the pack and opened the door for Rahm.
The Spaniard came home in 33 to get to 19-under and win his second Rolex Series title by one shot, with Rose slipping back into a tie for fourth that was not good enough to overturn Fleetwood's 256,737-point advantage in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex.
Fleetwood signed for a closing 74 to finish in a tie for 21st and end a season that had brought wins at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the HNA Open de France as Europe's number one.
Shane Lowry and Kiradech Aphibarnrat finished a shot behind Rahm at 18-under, one clear of Rose, Dean Burmester, Dylan Frittelli and Sergio Garcia.
Rahm, who was handed the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award earlier in the week, added the win to his Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation title and became the first player to win multiple Rolex Series events.
"It's hard to sum it up," said Rahm. "An incredible week, I could not be more proud of what I've done this week. It could be very easy to just be content with getting the award and just being here and trying to play the best. Having the weekend that I've had, actually shooting 12-under on the last 36 holes, bogey-free round today, it's really special. I didn't plan on being here at the beginning of the year and I sure didn't plan on winning it so it's an incredible feeling." The margins were so tight in the season-long battle that had Rose finished one shot better he would have won the Race to Dubai, while a birdie rather than a bogey on the last and a play-off win over Rahm would have seen García take the crown. In the end, the 2017 U.S. Masters champion slipped to fourth in the rankings as he was overtaken by Rahm, with Rose second behind fellow Fleetwood.
Rahm’s victory enabled him to rise to fourth in the world rankings. His second European Tour International Schedule victory came in just his 15th official European Tour event; he was the first debutant and rookie to win the DP World Tour Championship; he was only the third rookie to finish in the top five of the Race to Dubai rankings (formerly the order of merit – the three previous two were also Spanish, José María Olazábal in 1986 and Sergio García in 1999); and he became the second Spanish winner of the DP World Tour Championship after Álvaro Quirós in 2011.
It was the eighth European Tour victory by a Spanish player this season, after García (Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Masters and Andalucía Valderrama Masters), Quirós (Rocco Forte Open), Rafa Cabrera Bello (Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open) and Adrian Otaegui (Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play); and was the 181st European Tour victory for a player from Spain.
