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Jon Rahm grew to become the primary Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1989 to carry golf’s world primary rating, keeping off a late problem Sunday to win the US PGA Memorial tournament. Rahm holed out an incredible 31-foot chip shot on the par-3 16th and, regardless of a two-stroke penalty that turned it from a birdie to a bogey, took a three-stroke victory over American Ryan Palmer that boosted him over Rory McIlroy atop the rankings. “I don’t know how to describe it,” Rahm stated. “It has been a goal since I was 13-, 14- years-old.”
Rahm was among the many Spanish youth impressed by the feats of Ballesteros, a five-time main champion who died in 2011 at age 54 of mind most cancers.
“Seve is a very special player to all of us, and to be second to him, it’s a true honor,” Rahm stated. “Anytime I can join Seve at anything, it’s incredible.”
Rahm stated the second was tough to grasp partly as a result of his ideas had been along with his household, two members of which have died from COVID-19.
“It’s hard to process right now,” he stated. “There are so many things going through my mind right now that have nothing to do with golf.”
Rahm fired a three-over par 75 within the last spherical to complete on nine-under 279 with Palmer second. England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick was third on 283 after a closing 68 whereas Australia’s Jason Day and England’s Matt Wallace shared fourth on 284.
Rahm started with a four-shot edge and made the flip forward by eight earlier than dropping 4 strokes in a five-hole span with a bogey on the 10th, double-bogey at 11 and a bogey at 14 as Palmer pulled inside three.
That’s when the 25-year-old made his wonderful chip shot at 16.
“That’ll probably go down as my greatest chip shot. I don’t know if I’ll ever do better than that,” Rahm stated.
“Luckily, I pulled out probably the best short game shot I will ever have. That was unbelievable. For that to go in, that was exactly what I needed.”
Jack Nicklaus, the 18-time main winner who hosts the occasion at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, referred to as the shot “spectacular” as he congratulated Rahm with a fist bump on the 18th inexperienced.
Rahm, who received a US PGA event for the fourth yr in a row, was given a two-stroke penalty after tv slow-motion cameras confirmed his ball moved when he pushed down on the grass behind it shortly earlier than his unbelievable chip, though it did not change the lie and was unperceptible to Rahm himself.
“I did not see or feel anything,” stated Rahm, who agreed with the choice after watching a video replay.
“It did move. It is a penalty. I’ll accept it,” Rahm stated. “Unfortunate as it is to have something like this happen, it was a great shot.
“Had I seen it, I’d have stated one thing, however the digicam needed to zoom in to see it.”
The tournament was the sixth of the season for the US PGA, all without spectators, since the tour returned in June from a three-month coronavirus pandemic shutdown.
Tough conditions
Rahm, who won his first US PGA event when leading after 54 holes, was upset after a bogey at 10 and finding a water hazard off the tee at the par-5 11th, slamming his club into the ground on his way to double bogey.
“Conditions had been so robust. I knew I wasn’t going to play 18 good holes. I knew one thing was going to go south,” Rahm said.
“It was so agency, so windy, after which we began to get drizzle. Any little mistake was going to get punished.”
Palmer sank a 13-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th and Rahm stumbled again with a bogey at 14, finding a greenside bunker and missing a five-foot par putt, to leave the lead at three shots with four to play.
Promoted
“When I missed the putt on 14, I stated, ‘That’s sufficient,'” Rahm stated.
Palmer had a 12-foot birdie putt at 16 when Rahm blasted out of the deep grass, landed the ball simply onto the inexperienced and watched it roll into the cup. Palmer settled for par, his cost blunted for good.
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