21 July,2020 09:05 AM IST | Los Angeles | AFP
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm became the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1989 to hold golf's World No. 1 ranking, fending off a late challenge on Sunday to win the US PGA Memorial tournament.
Rahm holed out an amazing 31-foot chip shot at the par-3 16th and, despite a two-stroke penalty that turned it from a birdie to a bogey, took a three-stroke victory over American Ryan Palmer that boosted him over Rory McIlroy atop the rankings.
"I don't know how to describe it," Rahm said. "It has been a goal since I was 13, 14- years-old."
Rahm was among the Spanish youth inspired by the feats of Ballesteros, a five-time major champion who died in 2011 at age 54 of brain cancer. "Seve is a very special player to all of us, and to be second to him, it's a true honour," Rahm said.
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"Anytime I can join Seve at anything, it's incredible." Rahm said the moment was difficult to comprehend in part because his thoughts were with his family, two members of which have died from COVID-19.
"It's hard to process right now," he said. "There are so many things going through my mind right now that have nothing to do with golf."
Rahm fired a three-over par 75 in the final round to finish on nine-under 279 with Palmer second. England's Matthew Fitzpatrick was third on 283 after a closing 68 while Australia's Jason Day and England's Matt Wallace shared fourth on 284.
Rahm began with a four-shot edge and made the turn ahead by eight before dropping four strokes in a five-hole span with a bogey at the 10th, double-bogey at 11 and a bogey at 14 as Palmer pulled within three.
That's when Rahm, 25, made his amazing chip shot at 16. "That'll probably go down as my greatest chip shot. I don't know if I'll ever do better than that," Rahm said.
"Luckily, I pulled out probably the best short game shot I will ever have. That was unbelievable. For that to go in, that was exactly what I needed."
Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time major winner who hosts the event at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, called the shot "spectacular" as he congratulated Rahm with a fist bump at the 18th green.
Tiger Woods's opening birdie bomb was followed by a long slog to a four-over par 76 on Sunday as the 15-time major champion wrapped up a tough week in his first tournament in five months at the Memorial. Woods, a five-time winner of the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, made the cut on the number to keep his perfect streak of cuts made in the tournament in his 18th appearance.
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