DUBLIN, Ohio – Jon Rahm won the Memorial to join Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach number 1 in the world, a victory that finally ended with a magical shot that would have made his idol proud.
Rahm made an eight-turn lead on the turn, only to see it reduced to three three-hole pitches to play on a field in Muirfield Village on Sunday playing the toughest of the past 42 years.
In trouble behind the green at 16th par-3, with Ryan Palmer facing a 12-foot bird-putt from the fringe, Rahm hits a flop shot from the deep grass that came out perfectly. He landed on the edge, ran to the hole and threw himself towards the bird while the fiery Spaniard gave a fierce blowjob with his fists.
Palmer took the bogey on the 17th and the coronation had begun.
The only problem was the score. The replay of Rahm’s chip seems to show that the ball moved so slightly when he placed his lob behind it. PGA Tour officials examined him and gave him a two-stroke penalty. It did not affect the result.
Rahm was surprised when he was told after he was done and said that he hadn’t realized something was wrong.
“It doesn’t take anything from the shot,” he said. “It won’t take anything away from today.”
Rahm ended with a 3-over 75 for a three-shot win over Palmer, the highest final round of a Memorial winner since Roger Maltbie scored 76 in the inaugural year in 1976.
The victory was the tenth of Rahm’s career – fourth in the PGA Tour – and Rory McIlroy overtook him in the world rankings by winning against the strongest pitch of the year. He is the 24th player to be number 1. Ballesteros spent a total of 61 weeks at the highest levels from 1986 to 1989.
It was also the strongest test, with the uncut raw and the greens left to cook because they are replaced. The fifth green had already been eliminated while the leaders were on the back nine.
Only five players broke the tie, the lowest number for a final round since the start of the Memorial in 1976. The average score of 75,932 has been the highest for the final round since it was 75,972 in 1978.
Rahm seemed to be playing a different course. He played without bogey in the first nine with birds in the two par 5. This allowed him to fire eight shots while heading to n. 1.
And then he bogeyed 10. It’s not a problem.
He pulled his tee shot into a torrent on September 11 par-5, and that was a bigger problem based on the force with which he hit the club on the ground in an anger piercing. He did double bogey. Palmer made birdies on the 12th, and then Rahm made another bogey from the bunker on the 14th.
That’s right, the advantage was three shots.
Just a week ago at Muirfield Village for the Workday Charity Open, Justin Thomas had a three-hole lead with three holes to play and ended up losing in a playoff against Collin Morikawa.
Rahm just wanted his 16 tee shot to be dry, although the rough wasn’t an excellent option with how fast the greens ran. The chip was similar – but from a different perspective – to Tiger Woods who entered the 16th green from behind when he won the Memorial for the fifth time in 2012.
Woods, in his first competition since February 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fired 76 and tied for the 40th.
Matthew Fitzpatrick had a 68 for the low score on the last day to finish third.
The consolation prize went to Palmer (74) and Mackenzie Hughes (72), who earned points in the US Open at the Winged Foot in September as the top two players in the top 10 who were not already eligible.
Henrik Norlander could have taken the last place with an equal on 18, but he lost the fairway well to the right, failed to reach the green and drove crazy. Norlander and Hughes drew 3-under 285, but the place went to Hughes because he had the best world ranking.
This ranking now begins with Rahm, who was at the Memorial just five years ago to receive the Jack Nicklaus Award for best nation university player.
On Sunday, Nicklaus was there to greet him – with a punch – behind the eighteenth green. Nicklaus revealed on Sunday before he and his wife Barbara had tested positive for coronavirus in March, and have since tested positive for antibodies. Nicklaus prefers a handshake, although he said he will leave it to the winner.
As for the shot behind the 16? Nicklaus was shot. So it was Rahm.
“I still can’t believe it, I won’t lie,” said Rahm.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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