Jon Rahm has won the first US Open for Spanish golf with a spectacular finish of two birdies in the last two holes of the Torrey Pines course, on the outskirts of San Diego, California, home of the third major of the year. With his victory, the Biscayan returns to number one in the world ranking.
Rahm started the final round three strokes behind the leader, but enjoyed a birdie start that gave him even more confidence on his way to victory.
As most of the contenders fell behind, it came down to a duel between Rahm and Louis Oosthuizen, with the South African holding a one-stroke lead as his opponent teed off on the 17th.
It was then that Rahm starred in a finish that will go down in the history of the majors by making a pair of birdies on his last two holes to sign for a 67 and win by one stroke.
Oosthuizen missed his shot from the 17th tee and the resulting bogey meant he needed an eagle on the final hole for a playoff. The 2010 British Open champion failed to achieve the feat and his birdie on the 18th for a round of 71 left him on five under par and second in a major for the sixth time.
Rahm’s victory puts him back at number one in the world rankings and comes four years after his first victory as a professional, four years ago at the Wells Fargo Championship on the US PGA Tour.
It also comes just two weeks after he tested positive for Covid-19 and was withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament when he held a six-stroke lead after three rounds.
“I’m a big believer in karma and after what happened a couple of weeks ago I stayed very positive, knowing that great things were to come,” Rahm said.
“I didn’t know what it was going to be,” he added, “but I knew we were coming to a special place, I knew I got my big win here and it’s a very special place for my family. The fact that my parents were able to come – I left the Covid protocol early – I felt like the stars were aligning….”
“I felt,” he continued, “like a fairy tale story that I knew was going to have a happy ending. I could tell, just going down the fairway after that first tee shot, that second shot and that birdie. I knew there was something special”. in the air. I could feel it. I knew it.”
.
Excited
“It’s hard to believe that a couple of months ago I was in the hospital with Kepa watching Athletic play the Copa del Rey. Then I run off to the Masters and play well. The PGA I play well again and it had to be a special day like this,” said an emotional Rahm recalling the last few months since the birth of his first son, Kepa, in April.
“With everything that has happened, to have this day for the family I think we needed it. This is for the family and for Spain. There are a lot of people who have had a terrible time. Corti would surely have been the happiest journalist in the world,” Rahm said, honoring the late El Correo sports journalist José Manuel Cortizas, who passed away by Covid in early 2021.
After winning his first major with a one-stroke lead over Oosthuizen, Rahm recalled the putts he practiced as a child thinking about winning a U.S. Open. “Being very Bilbao, I would tell you, of course, I was sure I was going to win. It’s not that I’m a cool person, but I’ve always been confident and believed in what I can achieve,” said the golfer from Barrika.
“I always had hope, I believed and knew I could make them,” he said after making two spectacular birdie putts on the last two holes. “They are putts from the Larrabea putting green (the golf course where he started playing) with some slopes, with greens that bounce. I’ve shot them thousands of times and today I was that same child who dreamed of winning a major,” said Rahm, who tries to support children’s golf in Spain and the rest of the world.
“For those of you who are like me, who have that anger that helps you play golf. You have to know who you are on the golf course, but don’t let it affect who you are off the course. I wish I had understood how to change earlier, but it happened as it was meant to happen. In my case, the birth of my son has helped me to change a lot, to continue to have that anger and competitiveness, but with a little more serenity,” explained Rahm, advising the younger players.
“I’ve worked so hard to try to improve this and the moment comes, where one day you look in the mirror and notice the change. I’m not very proud of a lot of things I’ve done on the golf course, but without those moments, I wouldn’t have transformed into the player I am now,” he explained reflecting on the mental process that has led him to win his first major.
“This I have not told anyone. Yesterday I took something from my locker and I found a box with the Seve Ballesteros European Tour Player of the Year Award. And I felt something was going to happen today. I know that this trophy meant a lot to him and to Spanish golf,” said Jon Rahm, who joins Spanish major winners such as the late Ballesteros, Guipuzcoa’s Jose Maria Olázabal and Castellon’s Sergio Garcia.
“It is a pride to win this tournament for Spain. This is for all those who have helped me in Spain: Eduardo Celles, Jorge Losada, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation,” said Jon Rahm, who became a giant at Torrey Pines with the first U.S. Open for Spanish golf and his return to number one in world golf.
Leave a Reply