Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm Rodríguez (born 10 November 1994) is a Spanish professional golfer currently competing on the LIV Golf League. He has held the number-one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking and has won two major titles: the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters Tournament.

Rahm made history at Arizona State University as the first golfer to win the Ben Hogan Award twice, given to the top U.S. collegiate player. He also spent a then-record 60 weeks as the world’s top-ranked amateur. Turning professional in 2016, he won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and European Tour the following year. At the 2018 Ryder Cup, he beat Tiger Woods in his singles match. After winning the 2020 Memorial Tournament, Rahm became world number one, a position he has held for more than 50 weeks overall. In 2021, he became the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Open, and he added a second major at the 2023 Masters. Later that year, he joined LIV Golf. Forbes ranked him the world’s second highest-paid athlete in 2024, with reported earnings exceeding $200 million.

Rahm was born in Barrika, a town in Biscay, Spain. His mother, Ángela Rodríguez, was a midwife; his father, Edorta Rahm, worked in the petroleum industry. He was born with clubfoot—his right foot pointed 90 degrees inward—and wore a cast to straighten it. As a result, his right leg below the knee is less developed and 1.5 cm shorter than his left. Rahm has said his short backswing stems from limited right ankle mobility.

His parents became interested in golf after the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama, where Seve Ballesteros captained the winning European team. Rahm’s father then introduced his sons to the sport. Rahm has said he likely would not have become a professional golfer without that event, calling Ballesteros a “great hero” and stating, “I’m here because of that alone.”

Rahm and his older brother, Eriz, first played at Club Deportivo Martiartu in Erandio, a general sports club, later joining Larrabea Golf Club in Álava, about an hour from home. By age eight, he could hit a 5-wood over 100 meters. Besides golf, he competed in canoeing, football, and the Basque sport jai alai. As a child, he often fought and began training in kung fu at his mother’s suggestion (she practiced tai chi). Inspired by Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar, he played as a goalkeeper for SD Plentzia until under-14 level.

At 13, Rahm focused mainly on golf, coached by PGA of Spain professional Eduardo Celles, who had him hit fades instead of high hooks. Celles noted Rahm’s intense work ethic and exceptional memory for course details like green slopes. In 2010, he won the Spanish Junior/Boys Championship by six strokes. He attended Ander Deuna Ikastola in Sopela until 16, then transferred to IES Ortega y Gasset in Madrid, a school known for athletes. In 2011, he helped Spain win the European Boys’ Team Championship, defeating Sepp Straka in the final match.

Recruited by Tim Mickelson, Rahm played for Arizona State University starting fall 2012. He had planned to attend the University of San Francisco in 2013 but chose ASU after learning Phil Mickelson and Alejandro Cañizares had played there, and because his friend Noemí Jiménez was on the women’s team. Initially, he struggled with English and emotional control; Mickelson considered pulling his scholarship. In October 2012, Rahm shot 77-64-65 to place second at the Pac-12 Preview, saving his spot. Later that month, he won his first collegiate title at the Bill Cullum Invitational by three strokes. At the 2013 NCAA championship, he opened with a course-record 61 but finished tied-second. He was named 2013 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, leading the nation in birdies (165) and par-5 scoring (4.51), with a scoring average of 71.37—the lowest by an ASU freshman.

In March 2014, he shot 21-under 192 to win the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, breaking the school’s 54-hole record. His sophomore average was 70.84. He helped Spain win the 2014 European Amateur Team Championship and led the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy with an aggregate 263, breaking Jack Nicklaus’s 1960 record of 269. As a junior, he won four individual titles with a 69.15 average, earned first-team All-American honors, and won the Ben Hogan Award. In February 2015, he played the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open on a sponsor exemption, finishing tied-fifth at 12-under 272, three strokes behind winner Brooks Koepka; as an amateur, he could not collect the $239,400 prize. He became world number-one amateur in April 2015. In August 2015, he won the Mark H. McCormack Medal, earning exemptions into the U.S. Open and Open Championship the following year.