Jon Rahm Secures Seventh PGA Tour Title At Mexico Open
A two-under-par final gave Rahm his seventh PGA Tour title, with the Spaniard securing his first win in 10 months
Starting the tournament as the favourite, Jon Rahm showed his class, with the World No. 2 leading from start to finish as he picked up his seventh PGA Tour title.
It had been a tight and tense affair over the final day, with multiple players getting close to the top of the leaderboard. However, Rahm kept swatting them away, with Tony Finau, Brandon Wu and Kurt Kitayama all finishing within just one shot of the 27-year-old as Rahm secured yet another title.
Despite coming into the tournament as the favourite, Rahm admitted that he didn't check out the betting odds, stating that: "I like to think that every time I tee it up I am the favourite."
Following his round, the 27-year-old added: "I've been playing pretty good the past few years, but it has been a pretty stressful weekend. I didn't think that having a par 5 where a tee shot that required a fade would stress me out this much, but you know, I got it done in the end!
"I let my frustrations out a few times out there, but I remained positive. It wasn't my best putting weekend. I was great the first few days, but after it wasn't great. I stayed aggressive though and the shot on the 17th proved that. I had faith with every part of my game and a few of those early par putts showed early on."
Holding the lead or co-lead all 4 rounds en route to win No. 7 👏 pic.twitter.com/Zrf8clOpwSMay 1, 2022
As the final round got underway, Rahm started with a two-shot margin. However, that lead though was soon halved, with Kitayama and Champ both making birdies inside the first two holes to move within one.
Champ's bid for another PGA Tour title was soon dealt a big blow though, with three birdies inside the first seven holes being cancelled out due to a triple-bogey on the eighth. Kitayama on the other hand, carried on his superb front nine, with three birdies over the first nine keeping him well in contention.
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For Rahm though, he wasn't phased by the progression of his opponents, with back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh giving him the Mexico Championship lead going into the back nine.
As Rahm ploughed his way through the final nine holes, the American pair of Brandon Wu and Tony Finau were firing in superb final rounds, as eight-under-par 63's catapulted the duo into a share of second.
However, following a birdie at the 14th, Rahm produced pars at the 15th, 16th and 17th, before yet another clutch par at the last secured a seventh PGA Tour title and his first since the his US Open success in June 2021.
The victory comes just a few weeks shy of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills, an event where Rahm will be one of the favourites. Along with the win, the Spaniard moves comfortably inside the top-10 of the FedEx Cup standings.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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