When Jon Rahm tees off alongside Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler in the first round of the Phoenix Open today, the main public and media focus will be on the young Spanish star, despite his illustrious company. His PGA Tour victory last week at the Farmer Open propelled him into the headlines, confirming what has been coming since he recently turned pro, his exceptional class.
As Alex Myers commented on the Golf Digest website referring to the return of Tiger Woods and his fall on the cut, “As it turned out, Woods gave us the most over-the-top performance of the year other than from La La Land (the famous musical movie up for fourteen Oscars), but it was great to see him back. And it was even better that golf fans still had plenty more to talk about long after he left La Jolla.”
“Jon Rahm: What a back nine, what a putt! His finish at Torrey Pines would make even Tiger Woods proud. We haven’t heard Jim Nantz this excited since Phil Mickelson last won the Masters.”
“For Rahm, 22, it looks like this is going to be the first of many PGA Tour victories. Just one piece of bad news for American golf fans: he hails from Spain, so be prepared to be tormented by him for decades to come. Can you imagine him paired with fellow countryman Sergio Garcia ? Talk about a nightmare.
Aside from what’s happening on the course, a lot of attention is also being paid to Rahm’s life away from the greens. Arizona State University, for example, posted a photo of him with girlfriend Kelley Cahill on its web blog. The two went to the university where Cahill, who is from Portland, Oregon, competed on the javelin team.
This week is something of a triumphant homecoming for Rahm: he lived in Arizona for five years while in college and became the star of his golf team.
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