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When you think of dominant golf and Arizona State Phil Mickelson is obviously synopsis with the first name that comes to mind. Well, Jon Rahm is now also bucking that trend after four great seasons leading ASU men’s golf and now climbing up the PGA ranks.
Born in Barrika, Spain, Rahm came to Tempe to play collegiate golf in the best place he could and it worked out for him. He won 11 tournaments and had 96 top-10 finishes as a Sun Devil, which are both second only to Mickelson’s 16 and 109 respectively.
Something Mickelson never had won was a Ben Hogan Award, which Rahm received two of representing that he was the best collegiate player in the country. No player had won the award more than once.
Notable Achievements at ASU
• Won the 2016 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, honoring the top player in college golf.
• Became the first two-time recipient of the Ben Hogan Award since its inception in 1990, earning the honor for a consecutive season in 2016.
• Carded a four-day 12-under 272 to win the 2016 Pac-12 Individual title marking his third victory of the season and his 10th all-time. Finished the 2015-16 campaign with a 69.38 scoring average his senior season — good for the second-best in college golf.
• Finished his collegiate career ranked as the World Amateur No. 1 by the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Recorded 13 top-10 finishes in 2015-16 becoming the second Sun Devil to do so.
Where is he now?
Rahm turned professional after competing in the 2016 U.S. Open as an Amateur, and he wasn’t goofing around.
Finishing in the top-ten six times his first year as a pro and in the top-five twice, it wasn’t until the first tournament of 2017 that the golf world saw the same Rahm that Sun Devil fans saw for four years.
Rahm won the Farmers Insurance Open on the final hole sinking a 60-foot eagle putt to seal the win.
From that win on in 2017, Rahm didn’t look back. He hasn’t finished outside the top-20 and has pushed up to No. 11 in the world rankings as he outshoots premier player’s week after week.
Rahm is one of the most exciting players to come out of ASU in a long time, not matter what sports you’re a fan of. So lets just sit back and enjoy the ride that Rahm is going to take us on for the next few decades.