Jon Rahm Becomes Fourth-Youngest Man To Reach 3rd In World Rankings

The Spaniard finished 2nd at the Tournament of Champions to move up to 3rd in the world

Jon Rahm Becomes Fourth-Youngest Man To Reach 3rd In World Rankings

Jon Rahm has been a pro for little over 18 months and has already announced himself as one of, if not, the greatest prospects in world golf.

Except, he's not really a prospect...he's the real deal already.

Rahm finished as runner-up to Dustin Johnson in the Tournament of Champions, on a course he'd never played before, to leapfrog Justin Thomas up into third spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.

That means the 23-year-old has has reached the world number 3 spot quicker than all but three men in history, according to the European Tour.

Only Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth have broken into the top three quicker.

Rahm won his first title last January at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines in stunning fashion, holing a massive eagle putt from the back of the par-5 18th green.

His celebration was just as good.

He then won the Irish Open in July, itself a huge Rolex Event, before sealing his second European Tour title and third win in total at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November.

That means that he's won three times in his first 18 months as a professional, and has another 14 top-10s to his name.

He was also named the 2017 European Tour Rookie of the Year despite playing just five times on his home Tour.

The 23-year-old, who has a mere half swing yet launches it miles along with the 'Spanish hands' we've seen from Seve, Olazabal and Garcia, looks to be a stalwart of the European Ryder Cup team for the next two decades.

He will no doubt be making his debut in the biennial Europe vs USA match this September in Paris.

Rahm's form looks like it will only continue, and the world number three will surely be setting his sights on the top spot now.

“If I keep playing good, keep working, keep learning about myself, I just need to keep getting better scores without my A game like I have this week,” Rahm said after losing to DJ in last year's WGC-Match Play final.

“Hopefully I can keep playing good and maybe someday be No.1. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be, but it’s definitely one of my goals.”

Don't forget to follow Golf Monthly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram