Jon Rahm has been backed to dominate the PGA Tour in a similar way to which the great Tiger Woods did during his prime, after announcing himself as the world's best golfer in recent months.
Rahm's return to the top of the world rankings came as no surprise to anyone, nor did his Masters triumph at Augusta National earlier this month, having been one of the sport's most consistent performers in recent years. His victory in the opening major of the season maintained his impressive start to 2023.
The Spanish star has four PGA Tour titles to his name in the space of just four months, and will no doubt be competing for many more before the campaign is out if his form is anything to go by.
Rahm's hot run is all the more impressive considering the calibre of player he has been up against, having battled both Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler for the world No. 1 spot in recent months. Despite the remarkable standard out on Tour, the two-time major champion has been backed emulate Woods' domination by one of his fellow professionals.
Speaking to The Times, two-time DP World Tour winner Eddie Pepperell said: "I saw a stat the other day. Before Jon, only Tiger has won more tournaments than he’s missed cuts. Jon has won 20 tournaments [as a professional] and missed only 14 cuts.
"That is a pretty remarkable thing. He could dominate in a way we haven’t seen since Tiger, or the way Rory did from 2012 to 2014. I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of 2024 Jon has six majors.” Whilst emulating the American great will take some effort, Rahm made some strides when winning his first green jacket in Georgia.
Whilst being crowned Masters champion is special moment for any golfer, Rahm's win came with added emotion having secured the title on the birthday of the great Seve Ballesteros. A fellow Spaniard, Rahm paid homage to his boyhood hero in a tear-jerking post-round tribute.
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"Obviously we all dream of things like this as players, and you try to visualise what it's going to be like and what it's going to feel like," Rahm revealed. " And when I hit that third shot on the green, and I could tell it was close by the crowd's reaction, just the wave of emotion of so many things just overtook me.
"Never thought I was going to cry by winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole. And a lot of it because of what it means to me, and to Spanish golf: It's Spain's 10th major, fourth player to win the Masters, and my second major win. It's pretty incredible. This one was for Seve. He was up there helping and help he did."
