Rory McIlroy may still be the best player in the world according to the Official World Golf Ranking formula, but there’s little doubt about who has been the best player on the course over the past four months.
Spain’s Jon Rahm won again at the American Express in La Quinta, California on Sunday. It was his second straight win and his fourth win in his last six world starts (in September he tied for second at the BMW PGA Championship and in October at South Carolina). His tie for fourth place in his CJ Cup held). In fact, Rahm has won all of his last three official events (DP World Tour Championship, Sentry Tournament of Champions and American Express), all of which have started around the world.
Somehow, Rahm’s latest win only moves him from 4th to 3rd in the world rankings. Rahm says his victory at the limited-field Sentry Tournament of Champions and his DP World Tour Championship in November under his new OWGR formula will carry as much weight as his other teams. I expressed my frustration at not having one.
Either way, if Rahm maintains a blistering pace, he will soon catch up with McIlroy.
“In my heart, I feel that I can do better,” said Rahm. “I feel that is the mentality I should have. Again, I work very hard to do what I do. I can hardly say I played a perfect round.”
Even more terrifying for Lahm’s opponents, the next stop on the PGA Tour is the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, where he will become the first Spaniard to win the US Open in 2021.
Here’s what happened in Pro Golf this week.
what happened on the pga tour
american express
Where: La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California
winner: John Rahm
Why he won: Rahm, the hottest player on the planet, got everything he wanted from PGA Tour rookie Davis Thompson until his putt on the par-3 17th inexplicably hit the flagpole and ripped him out. On the par-4 18th, Thompson missed the approach shot and ended up over the green. After taking the lead with a birdie on the 16th, Rahm hit pars on the last two holes to finish 27-under, one stroke ahead of Thompson.
Rahm’s putts didn’t drop as well as he did in the first three rounds, but they were enough to clinch a second straight win. Rahm has posted a staggering 54-under in eight rounds since the start of 2023. It was the third time in PGA Tour history that a player finished at 27-under or higher, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“I feel great in my body,” said Rahm. “My swing feels really, really good and that shows, right? I’m glad that today went well.
Lahm tied the late Seve Ballesteros to record the second-most wins by a Spaniard on the PGA Tour with nine. Sergio Garcia he is 11. Rahm topped his FedEx Cup rankings for the first time in his career.
What Happened on the LPGA Tour
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Where: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, Florida
winner: Brooke Henderson
Why she won: A recent equipment change didn’t dampen Henderson’s momentum as he grabbed his 13th career LPGA win with a wire-on-wire win at Lake Nona. She beat England’s Charlie Hull and Sweden’s Maja Stark on Sunday with her two-under 70 by two strokes. Nelly Coda hit even par on Sunday to finish fourth at 11 under par.
The Canadian, who switched to TaylorMade before the season, hit 71% of fairways and 80% of greens in regulation in four rounds. She was 9 under on a par 5. She had 19 birdies. Henderson said in her TOC she has 16 consecutive rounds of par or better and her only three bogeys in her last 108 holes at Lake Nona. More importantly, her back troubles that slowed her down at the end of last season didn’t matter, she could have a very big season.
Start the season with a win! 🏆
Brooke Henderson Wins 2023 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions! 👏 pic.twitter.com/SvKRSJnjTZ
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 22, 2023
Henderson didn’t finalize which clubs to put in her bag until about a week ago.
“Honestly, I think all parts of the game have worked really well this week, but this doesn’t always happen. It’s been really nice to be able to take advantage of that and lift this trophy. ” said Henderson. “Tee off [on Sunday], the drivers may not have been as good as the rest of the week, but they were still very consistent. Ball strikes made a lot of his birdies and made a lot of putts especially in his first three days.
“Yeah, I really can’t complain about anything.
Thompson near miss
Former University of Georgia star Thompson will have been thinking about his ill-fated break on the 17th hole on Sunday for some time. On January 1, 2019, a new USGA rule went into effect allowing players to leave the pin in the cup when putting. Prior to that, there was a two-stroke penalty if a ball on the green hit the flagstick. The rule change was implemented in hopes of speeding up play.
Thompson said he usually leaves the pin on long putts.
It’s a cruel game.
Davis Thompson was close to tying the lead at 17 Shinshin. pic.twitter.com/Ygj9MURRvJ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2023
“I feel like it helps my speed,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, I’m probably going to play the ‘what if’ game in my head for a long time. I probably hit it too hard.Had I been faster, I would have hit the flag and dropped.But we’ll never know.I’m proud of myself for this week.
It was an amazing performance for Thompson, who had just started his 20th career on the PGA Tour. Thompson has twice topped the World Golf Amateur Rankings and in 2021 he was named the SEC Player of the Year. His father Todd is a former Georgia team captain, Executive Director of the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour and RSM’s Tournament Director. Classic at Sea Island, Georgia.
Thompson, 23, earned his PGA Tour card with one win on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour and a 16th-place finish on the season’s all-time points list. He won $872,000 for his second-place finish on Sunday.
“It’s been a great week,” Thompson said. “It was a dream of mine to fight the best opponents in the world and today I did it and proved that I can be with them. It was a lot of fun. I hit a quality golf shot. It’s so cool.”
move up and down
rise
Players who moved in the right direction this week
Chris Kirk
Kirk, another former Georgia player, posted a front-nine 29 on Sunday and finished with an 8-under 64 to take third place. He was 3rd in solos on his last start at the Sony Open in Hawaii. This is the first time he’s had consecutive Top 5 finishes since 2014.
Taylor Montgomery
A late double bogey on the par-3 17th cost him some money, but the UNLV rookie continues his top ten finish. In his first nine starts of the season, this was his eighth top-15 finish.
Eric van Roen
The South African player’s 2021-22 season was derailed by an injury, and he withdrew from the opening round of 75 at the Houston Open in November. On Sunday, he scored a 10-under 62, matching his lowest round on the Tour, tying for sixth at 23-under.
Robbie Shelton
Shelton qualified for the FedEx Cup playoffs as a rookie in the 2019-20 season, but lost his card the following season after making only 11 of 32 cuts. His tie for sixth at American Express should give him a lot of confidence.
move down
PLAYERS THAT MOVED WRONG THIS WEEK
Lucas Glover
He missed qualifying at the 2009 US Open, but not before he set Twitter on fire Thursday with a rare putting stroke on the 3-footer.
Lucas’ new backstroke (or lack thereof) is… unique. pic.twitter.com/v92etmSx14
— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) January 19, 2023
Patrick Cantley
Cantlay had a chance to win American Express and become No. 1 in the world, but he never contested, finishing tied for 26th at 18 under par.
Rickie Fowler
Fowler, whose last PGA Tour win happened almost four years ago, has a new swing. Unfortunately, this weekend’s results were a familiar one. Tie for 54th at 13 under par.
best of the week
best scorecard
Dylan Wu, who made his 33rd career start on the Tour, posted an impressive par save on Saturday at No. 18, going 11-under 61, a Nicklaus Tournament Course record (also set by Will Zaratris last year). tied. Woo’s lowest finish to date was his 8-his under-64 in his championship at Bermuda in 2022 Butterfield.
Moving day is a full day 👏 @Dylan_Wu59 tie @WillZaratoris‘ Course record 61 at Nicklaus Tournament Course @ Amex Golf. pic.twitter.com/tncZ7v1KqH
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 21, 2023
best approach
What’s wrong with your back? Xanderschauffele’s albatross on his 5th hole of Sunday’s American Express was the first on the PGA Tour since Stefan Yeager won an albatross in the final round of the 2022 John Deere Classic. bottom.
Xander’s Albatross!@X Schauffele Hole out from 225 yards to 18 under @ Amex Golf 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TLGu90jdIN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2023
best chips
France’s Victor Perez scored the biggest win of his career on Sunday with this shot from the bunker at No. 17 in Abu Dhabi. He became the first French player to win an event in his Rolex series and was a legitimate contender to qualify for his team’s European Ryder Cup.
Victor Perez’s Incredible Bunker Shots with French Commentary Today 🇫🇷😂
Via 🎤 @GolfCanalPlus #ADGolfChamps | | # Rolex series pic.twitter.com/Ji5wi0VhKf
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 22, 2023
best putt
Jason Day sank the bomb, posting a 5-under 67 on Sunday to finish tied for 18th on the American Express.
Perfect speed, perfect putt 💯 @JDayGolf eject from afar @ Amex Golf. pic.twitter.com/gpesLK Feha
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2023
best rebound
God of golf takes. The golf gods give. His Seonghyeon Kim of South Korea missed the cut after his coaster of this emotional jet in the second round on Friday.
The craziest back-to-back holes you’ve ever seen 😳 pic.twitter.com/qZ1psGsgmc
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 21, 2023
wedding photo!
More photos surfaced at Justin Thomas’ wedding to longtime girlfriend Jillian Wisniewski in November, in Franklin, Tennessee. Due to the no-phone policy at the ceremony, there weren’t many photos available until Sunday.
NBC Today contributor and close friend of the couple, Jason Kennedy, officiated the wedding and posted some photos on his Instagram account.
The best social media of the weekend
Tommy Rules
What’s wrong, Tyrrell?#golf psycho pic.twitter.com/b5aLorSLnE
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 20, 2023
play carlton
Chip in to the eagle ✅
dance with @alphonso_ribeiro ✅ @Daniel Kang | | #HGVLPGA pic.twitter.com/xxz961POx0
— LPGA (@LPGA) January 19, 2023
like a tiger
The only way to play as me and my friend is PGA TOUR 2K23, which is currently available. #team2k pic.twitter.com/5lwCJ73o4v
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) January 20, 2023
One Tee Hill
💀💀💀💀💀
.@sakumba you are crazy about thispic.twitter.com/DCG20VvE1A
— no laying up (@NoLayingUp) January 18, 2023
happy 83rd birthday golden bear
A true legend of the game.
happy 83rd birthday @Jack Nicklaus!🥳 pic.twitter.com/IeJhgS8i99
— PGA Tour Champion (@ChampionsTour) January 21, 2023
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