Desert retreat

There are many reasons why Jon Rahm loves it when the PGA Tour stops in the “Desert” of southern California. The CareerBuilder Challenge at La Quinta (which became the Desert Classic this year and becomes The American Express next January) was where Rahm won his second PGA Tour title, in 2018, and in three appearances there he has never shot higher than 72 over 18 holes.

But there’s more, because when the tour stops in the Desert it is a homecoming of sorts for Spaniard Rahm, who has represented Palm Desert’s famous Bighorn Golf Club since 2017 and where he now holds membership.

Rahm stays at Bighorn when the tour is in town—it is a haven where he brings family and friends—and when Rahm won the CareerBuilder Challenge in 2018 it was to the steakhouse at Bighorn where he headed to celebrate, and where guests included Bighorn chairman R.D. Hubbard.

“Jon is very interactive with our membership,” starts Tony Ogrodnick, general manager at Bighorn. “He comes to some of our member-guest events and sometimes he’ll hold a Q&A session during happy hour. Jon has charisma, maturity and a quick wit and he has a lot of fascinating stories. Our membership has really embraced him.”

Bighorn, which opened in 1991, has two 18-hole golf courses, the original Arthur Hills-designed Mountains course and the Canyons Course, designed by Tom Fazio and which opened in 1998.

At the leading edge of luxury golf and lifestyle in Palm Desert, Bighorn exudes distinguishing features, such as its state-of-the-art clubhouse and The Vault, which is a gallery of more than 50 classic cars and motorcycles belonging to club members. A designer sports bar, the Redline Lounge, overlooks the garage floor and with a racing simulator installed, it is one of Rahm’s favored pit-stops.

“I am thrilled to be part of the Bighorn family,” says Rahm. “To be partnered with an internationally recognized club such as Bighorn is incredible and I proudly carry the logo on my bag”.