Jon Rahm topples Rory McIlroy to become new No.1 player in the world

Jon Rahm become new No.1 player in the world

The supremely talented Spaniard golfer Jon Rahm shots nine-under-279 to claim victory at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, has now become the fifth-youngest player to reach the No.1 spot in the world.

However, the game holds too much of drama, where Spain’s Jon Rahm overcame nerves and a two-shot penalty to claim triumph and replace Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings.

The 25-year-old started his final day at Muirfield Village Golf Club with a four-shot lead and stretched that to eight with nine holes remain, but late tragedy saw his advantage shrink to three before Rahm sealed his fourth PGA Tour win.

With that, Jon Rahm joins childhood hero Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to hold golf's world number one ranking, celebrated with a huge fist pump in fading light and near muteness as the crowd still forbidden due to COVID-19 constraints.

"Seve is a very special player to all of us, and to be second to him, it's a true honor," Rahm said. "Anytime I can join Seve at anything, it's incredible."

“I don’t know how to describe it,” said Rahm. “It’s been a goal since I was 13-, 14-years-old.

He further added “I remember I heard a story on the radio from my swing coach back in Spain, Eduardo Celles. We were driving somewhere and he asked me what my goals were and my ambitions and this and that, and I remember telling him I’m going to be the best player in the world.”

Rahm’s finishes his final day (75) and campaign on nine-under 279, three strokes ahead of Ryan Palmer (74) with Matthew Fitzpatrick (68) at the third position on 283.

The tournament was the sixth of the season for the US PGA, with no viewers all because of coronavirus pandemic shutdown.