Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A Bethpage Rahmpage may well be Jon the cards
WORLD No1 Dustin Johnson and Masters champion Tiger Woods may be joint favourites heading to the USPGA tomorrow.
You’ll also get short odds on Rory Mcilroy (inset) and defending champion Brooks Koepka to add to their majors tally in New York.
But for me, Jon Rahm offers top value and a great chance of a European win at Bethpage’s notorious Black Course on Long Island.
How notorious?
Well, a famous sign at the first tee reads: “Warning. The Black Course is an extremely difficult course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.”
Thankfully, Rahm passes muster when it comes to ‘highly skilled’ and I believe it’s only a matter of time before he wins his maiden major.
Bethpage is long and has huge bunkers, but if you have the power to cope tee-to-green, the relatively flat putting surfaces allow you to cash in.
In short, this course fits the Spaniard’s skill set better than any other major venue and that’s why he’s my hot tip heading to the Big Apple.
It also helps that he can
slip under the radar, with the brightest spotlight set to shine on Tiger four weeks after his Masters heroics.
Woods’ return to title winning form at Augusta is a major boost for the sport, but he can’t win them all and Rahm has the tools to rip up the script in New York.
The World No11’s season has been really solid, with eight top-10 finishes from 12 starts, including a win alongside Ryan Palmer at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. It’s incredible to think Rahm has played only 78 events as a pro, yet he has already amassed six wins, including the 2017 Irish Open at Portstewart. His career scoring average of 69.5 is in the superstar bracket and the next natural step for him is to win a major.
It’s true he has had issues with his fiery temperament, but it’s a learning curve and the focus he showed in his Ryder Cup defeat of Tiger in Paris was a big step forward. A T9 (2019 Masters) and T4 (2018 USPGA) in his last two major outings means he’s also trending in the right direction on the biggest stages.
Another plus is the fact this year’s USPGA is being played in May for the first time in 70 years, so the weather will be more suited to European golfers.
The Americans have had a stranglehold on recent majors – they’ve won seven of the last eight – so I hope a European can get over the line.
Step forward a big hitter accustomed to soft terrain and inclement weather.
Rahm ticks all the boxes at Bethpage.