5 years after coming to America, Jon Rahm gets 1st PGA win. But his career almost ended before it started. #12Sports https://t.co/IzfBAQ99TC pic.twitter.com/TnUgGg88e5
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) January 30, 2017
SENIOR SEASON (2015-16)
--Earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications in May of 2016.
--Won the 2016 Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, honoring the top player in college golf.
--Earned PING First-Team All-American honors for a second-consecutive season in 2015-16 season, becoming the seventh player in program history to accomplish the feat twice in a career.
--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, good for the second-best in college golf.
-- Finished his collegiate career ranked as the World Amateur No. 1 by WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking).
--Recorded 13 top-10 finishes in 2015-16 (every event) the second Sun Devil -- and the first since Chris Hanell in 1997 -- to record a top-10 finish in every outing in a season.
JON RAHN 2015-16 ROUND-BY-ROUND
OLYMPIA FIELDS 69-74-68=211/+1/T-9
JACKRABBIT 75-69-70=214/-2/10
ALISTER MACKENZIE 68-63-66=197/-16/T-2
TAVISTOCK INVITATIONAL 71-70-69=210/-6/1
AMER ARI 71-68-70=209/-7/T-8
PRESTIGE AT PGA WEST 70-66-69=205/-8/T-3
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS 69-69-78=216/E/T-5
LAMKIN GRIPS SD 72-72-70=214/-2/T-5
ASU THUNDERBIRD 66-64-68=198/-15/1
WESTERN INTERCOL. 72-67-70=209/-1/T8
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS 70-66-68-68=272/-12/1
NCAA REGIONALS 69-71-72=212/-4/1
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 71-68-69-71=279/-1/T3
CAREER ACCOLADES:
-- 2015 Ben Hogan Award recipient
-- Winner of the 2015 McCormack Medal
-- Won the 2015 NCAA San Diego Regional (May 14-16)
-- Tied for fifth at the 2015 Waste Management Open (Jan. 29-Feb. 1).
-- Won the 2014 World Amateur, breaking a record held by Jack Nicklaus in the process.
-- Back-to-back winner of the Spanish Amateur (2014-15).
-- Quarterfinalist at 2015 U.S. Amateur
-- Entered senior season of 2015-16 with 70.48 stroke average in 40 collegiate events and 55 rounds in the 60s and seven career wins. Had posted par or better in 82 of 124 career rounds after three seasons.
BEST NCAA SEASON STROKE AVERAGE
Bill Haas, Wake Forest, 2003-04, 68.93
Maverick McNealy, Stanford, 2014-15, 69.05
Jon Rahm, Arizona State, 2014-15, 69.15
-- Earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2012-13.
-- Had NCAA-best 32 eagles in first three seasons (2012-15).
-- Didn't get the 2012-13 National Freshman of the Year, but an argument could be made he should have, but he did earn 2012-13 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
-- Earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in each of his first two seasons and first-team honors in 2014-15.
-- Born in November of 1994.
-- Shot a NCAA Championship opening-round record 61 on May 28, 2013.
-- "Look out, Lefty: Rahm focused on Mickelson's records" (by Jeff Metcalfe, Arizona Republic/March 31, 2014)
JON RAHM COLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT WINS (11)
2016 NCAA Albuquerque Regional (May 16-18)
2016 Pac-12 Championships (Apr. 29-May. 1)
2016 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (Apr. 2-3)
2015 Tavistock Invitational (Oct. 18-20)
2015 NCAA San Diego Regional (May 14-16)
2015 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (Apr. 3-4)
2015 Duck Invitational (Mar. 23-24)
2014 Bill Cullum Invitational (Oct. 20-21)
2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (Mar. 21-23)
2013 San Diego Classic (Mar. 11-12)
2012 Bill Cullum Invitational (Oct. 21-22)
MOST @ASUMENSGOLF TOURNAMENT WINS
Phil Mickelson (1988-92), 16
Jon Rahm (2012-present), 11
Billy Mayfair (1984-88), 8
Alejandro Canizares (2002-2006), 6
Charlie Gibson (1972-75), 6
Paul Casey (1997-2000), 6
Todd Demsey (1991-95), 5
ABOUT THE 2014 THUNDERBIRD SCORE
Jon Rahm's 21-under 192 at the 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational in March broke the school's 54-hole final score record and the Thunderbird Invitational record, while ASU's 817 was the lowest team score in the history of the tournament.
SUN DEVIL LOWEST 54-HOLE SCORES (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
Jon Rahm, 192/-21 (2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational)
Jon Rahm, 195/-15 (2015 ASU Thunderbird Inviational)
Jesper Kennegard, 197/-13 (2008 UH Hilo Invitational)
Benjamin Alvarado, 198/-18 (2007 NCAA West Regional in Tempe)
Alejandro Canizares, 200/-16 (2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational)
Jeff Quinney, 201/-15 (1999 ASU Thunderbird Invitational)
JUNIOR SEASON (2014-15)
-- Tied for fifth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open with a with a 12-under 272 (70-68-66-68), just three strokes behind winner Brooks Koepka. Rahm became the first amateur to finish in the top-five of a PGA TOUR event since Chris Wood (fifth) at the 2008 British Open and Justin Rose (tied for fourth) at the 1998 British Open.
-- Recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 12 tournaments, including first-place finishes at the NCAA Regional in San Diego and the Bill Cullum, Oregon Duck, and ASU Thunderbird Invitationals.
-- Shot a season-low 64 in the second round of the ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
-- Averaged 69.15 through 13 tournaments -- the second-best scoring average in the nation.
-- Earned GCAA First Team All-American honors.
JON RAHM ROUND-BY-ROUND 2014-15Itani Quality Homes Collegiate 68-66-77=211/+1/T19
Alister MacKenzie Invite 66-71-77=214/+1/T20
Bill Cullum Invite 67-67-69=203/-13/1
Warrior Princeville Makai Invite 67-67-67=201/-15/5
Amer Ari Invitational 65-72-68=205/-11/T8
Prestige at PGA WEST 66-70-69=205/-11/T2
Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters 70-68-69=207/-9/T2
Duck Invitational 71-71-70=212/-4/1
ASU Thunderbird 65-64-66=195/-15/1
Western Intercollegiate 68-70-68=206/-4/3
Pac-12 Championships 70-68-74-68=280/E/T6
NCAA Regionals 73-64-69=206/-10/1
NCAA Finals 71-75-71-73=290/+1/T22
SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013-14):
-- Won the 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational in record fashion with a 21-under 192.
-- Led nation for second straight year with 12 eagles after notching nine in first year.
-- Stroke average of 70.84 was best by a Sun Devil since Niklas Lemke went 70.03 in 2006-07.
-- Averaged 3.06 on par three scoring, best by a Sun Devil since Chez Reavie averaged 3.05 in 2003-04.
JON RAHM ROUND-BY-ROUND 2013-14
Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational 75-73-71=219/+3/T25
Tucker Invitational 68-72-79=219/+3/T9
Alister Mackenzie Invitational 67-69-71=206/-10/6
Bill Cullum Invitational 67-70-70=207/-9/T2
Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational 72-68-67=207/-9/T8
Amer Ari Invitational 69-74-67=210/-6/T30
Southern Highlands Masters 76-71-75=222/+6/T12
ASU Thunderbird Invitational 62-64-66=192/-21/1
Seattle Redhawk Invite 68-67-68=203/-8/2
68th Annual Western Intercollegiate 70-7-71=218/+8/T45
Pac-12 Championship 77-75-77-72=301/+13/T36
NCAA Columbia Regional 73-75-68=216/E/T26
12 TOURNAMENTS/37 ROUNDS/70.84 AVERAGE
FRESHMAN (2012-13):
-- Posted wins at the Bill Cullum Invitational and the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic.
-- One of only two players in the nation to play 46 rounds in 2012-13, and all of them counted.
-- Ranked first in the nation in par-5 scoring at 4.51 strokes and tied for first with nine eagles.
-- Led the nation with 165 birdies, beating NCAA champion Max Homa by three.
-- Tied with senior and NCAA Champion Max Homa of California as the only two players in the nation to play 46 rounds, and amazingly Jon had his score count in all 46.
-- Only two other Sun Devils in the previous 20 seasons had 100 percent scoring: Chris Hanell in 39 rounds in 1996-97 and Niklas Lemke in 2006-07 in 37 rounds
-- Jon's nine eagles was tied for the best mark in the nation with Xander Schauffele of San Diego State. That also is the most by a Sun Devil in the previous 20 seasons, topping Paul Casey's eight eagles in his freshman season of 1997-98.
JON RAHM ROUND-BY-ROUND 2012-13
Gopher Invitational 81-73-78=232/+16/T41
Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational 75-73-73/=221/+5/T15
Pac-12 Preview 77-64-65=206/-10/2
Alister MacKenzie Invitational 69-71-74=214/+1/ T26
Bill Cullum Invitational 72-65-67=204/-12/1
Arizona Intercollegiate 75-70-69=214/+1/13
The Amer Ari Invitational 73-70-74=217/+1/T42
The Prestige at PGA West 71-74-74=219/+3/T26
North Ranch Intercollegiate 79-75-72=226/+13/T30
Lamkin Grips SD Classic 72-70-67=209/-7/1
ASU Thunderbird Invitational 75-68-69=212/-1/T11
67th Annual Western Intercollegiate 69-72-69=210/E/7
Pac-12 Championship 75-67-68-75=285/+5/10
NCAA Tempe Regional 73-69-68=210/E/T23
NCAA Championship 61-72-71=204/-6/T2
15 TOURNAMENTS/46 ROUNDS/71.37 AVERAGE
GETTING TO KNOW JON...
What major would you most like to win? British open or Masters
The best round of my life was a (score) at (course) back in (date) 61 at 2013 NCAA Championship at the Capital City Club
Three golfers I want to play a round with... Tiger, Severiano and Phil
Three people (non-golfers) I want to pay a round with... Rafael Nadal, Adam Sandler and Shakira
The main reason I picked Arizona State is... The great program and coaches
What is your favorite golf course you have ever played? R.S.C.G Neguri
What is the one golf course you have not played but want to? Pine Valley
One word to describe Arizona State golf... Victory/Success
Major League Baseball players pick a song to play on the PA system when they step up to the plate. You are a MLB player. What song is playing as you dig into the batter’s box? Thunderstruck
What do you like best about your hometown? Views and food
A movie you have watched more than once and will watch again? 300 or the best game ever played
Favorite song from your favorite artist ‘The way you make me feel’- Michael Jackson
Are you a good dancer? When is the last time you danced? Yes, I cannot remember when
What is one of your favorite quotes and why? “As a competitor you have to have that belief in yourself”- Tiger Woods
What is your favorite form of exercise? Playing Soccer
If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be? Last time my soccer team won a title
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Kite surfing
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Michael Jackson
What is your favorite commercial? “No cup is safe”- Nike
Where is the most interesting vacation spot you have ever visited? Corsica
What toppings do you get on your pizza? Ham
Favorite pro athlete you have been around... Jose Angel Iribar
The most played song on my iPod is... “the way you make me feel”-Michael Jackson
Something I have not done, but I will... Sky Diving
What three words would you use to describe yourself? Competitive, Positive and Lazy
What is your fondest childhood memory? Every Christmas
Besides golf, what is your favorite sport to watch? Soccer
What is a place that you have always wanted to visit? Bora Bora