Jon Rahm hits his tee shot on Friday on the twelfth gap at Bay Hill.

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“You’ve gained 5 begins in 9 around the globe. As a lot as you’re competing in opposition to Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, how a lot are you chasing Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer?”

The query was expertfully requested on Thursday, on reside TV, by Golf Channel’s Damon Hack. Issues have progressed to that stage with Jon Rahm, haven’t they? Yeah, they kinda have. 

However earlier than attending to the Spaniard’s reply — and it’s notable — let’s rapidly evaluation. (We’ll belief that you recognize Tiger and Jack and Arnie.) 

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— There are his 5 wins: the Open de Espana in October, the DP World Tour Championship in November, the Sentry Event of Champions and American Specific in January, and the Genesis Invitational two weeks in the past. That’s a .555 successful proportion. 

— There are his finishes within the different 4 tournaments over the nine-start stretch Hack had talked about: a tie for fourth on the CJ Cup, a tie for eighth on the Hero World Problem, a tie for seventh on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open, a 3rd on the WM Phoenix Open. If you wish to toss on his tie for second on the BMW PGA Championship final September, he’s not completed exterior of the highest eight since final August’s Tour Championship. 

— There are his Strokes Gained metrics on the PGA Tour this season. He’s no worse than twenty second in any class: first in SG: Whole; third in Tee to Inexperienced; seventh in Off the Tee; sixth in Strategy the Inexperienced; twenty second in Across the Inexperienced; and ninth in Placing. 

— There’s his presence, his swagger, his ‘inevitably.’ Max Homa famous this after developing quick to Rahm on the Genesis. “Sure, he’s in all probability Thanos,” Homa stated, evaluating Rahm to the Marvel baddie. “He has a whole lot of the stones in his toolbox. He’s an incredible golfer. He has zero weaknesses. He’s been this dude for a very long time.”

There was Thursday. And magic. At Bay Hill, one of many Tour’s most tortuous tracks, he was three-under via 14 holes, he had hit his tee ball close to a tree on 15, and he then: 

— Dropped a 35-footer for par. 

— Eagled the par-5 sixteenth by going: 310-yard fairway drive, 205-yard iron to 24 toes, putt. 

— Birdied the par-3 seventeenth after hitting to 2 toes, 7 inches, the closest of the day on the opening. 

— Birdied the par-4 18th with an iron to five toes. That’s a four-under-over-three-hole end, and after a seven-under 65, he’s your chief by two via 18. 

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That’s some run. Tiger-like. 

So that you chasing him, Jon?

At “Tiger Woods” in Hack’s query, Rahm laughed. When the query was completed, he rubbed the left facet of his beard together with his left hand. He stammered. In any case, the 28-year-old was lastly slowed, however it was one thing that he clearly has thought of.  

“Ah, I’m attempting to go daily after which take into consideration that, proper,” he stated. “To an extent, sure.

“As soon as I’ve finished what I’ve finished — have three wins already — you can begin considering of a few of the issues Tiger did. I’m attempting to do it for the primary time at my age. He had finished it about 12 or 13 instances at this level, so I’m attempting to get myself going. However yeah, there’s generally the place even this early within the week, you set your self in place to possibly begin dreaming of some moments like that, and I definitely began the yr fascinated about it and did what I needed to do. So, to date, I can’t actually say a lot however nonetheless an extended method to go.” 

His reply was humble (although it was a bit of unclear what mark he was referring to). Nonetheless, there’s one thing important there, proper?

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Perhaps the opposite query with Rahm is: The place is that this all going? A Masters win? Extra? The majors are all quick approaching, and that’s the place we finest knew Tiger and Jack and Arnie. And if Rahm outwardly says he’s dreaming of the chase — or stated one other means, he’s not backing down from historical past — nicely, then, we could possibly be in retailer for one thing memorable. 

Maybe that is telling, too. In case you had been questioning if all that is attending to his head, we’ll go away with this alternate, with one other group of reporters. 

“5 wins your final 9 worldwide begins, all top-10 finishes. You had been requested this week in case you are clicking on all cylinders, can anyone beat you. And also you stated no. So the query is, proper now, do you’re feeling such as you’re clicking on all cylinders?”

‘No.”

“What wants to enhance?”

“Gosh, undergo the spherical, and also you’ll see loads of errors,” Rahm stated. “I simply took benefit of, let’s say, of minimizing errors and transformed a pair conditions into actually good scores. However it might probably all the time be higher. However it’s the primary day. Ask me that on Sunday if I maintain enjoying like this and I’ll in all probability change my reply.”

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Nick Piastowski
Patacon.org Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Patacon.org and Golf Journal. In his function, he’s accountable for enhancing, writing and growing tales throughout the golf area. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be enjoying the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and quick, and ingesting a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You may attain out to him about any of those subjects — his tales, his sport or his beers — at [email protected]