Rahm earns ‘favorite’ tag in PGA Tour

Jon Rahm left his first US Open with a gold medal for being the low amateur and no guarantees except for sponsor exemptions to play in six PGA Tour events in two months.

That was one year ago, and even for Rahm, it’s hard to believe how far the 22-year-old Spaniard has come.

A year after his final event as an amateur, Rahm is one of the favorites at Erin Hills.

He is No. 10 in the world—only Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia were ranked higher at a younger age. Along with winning at Torrey Pines with an eagle on his final hole, Rahm challenged Dustin Johnson in Mexico and scared him in Match Play when Johnson was on his three-tournament winning streak.

Oakmont now seems like far more than a year ago.

“It’s truly amazing to me to just look how things have changed,” Rahm said Monday. “The future was so unknown. There were so many options depending on how I did. To see how I’ve accomplished my goals on such a fast pace...of course, I wanted to be top 10 in the world someday. I didn’t believe I could win, give myself chances to win World Golf Championships, get into the top 10 in the same year.”

He doesn’t lack any of the skills required to be among the best in the world. He certainly doesn’t lack for confidence.

But there was that moment at the US Open last summer at Oakmont when Rahm felt he gave the toughest test in golf a little too much credit. /