Jon Rahm cruises to Hero World Challenge title amid world rankings drama

What happened at the Hero World Challenge?

Jon Rahm now has three PGA Tour titles to match his three European Tour titles after storming to victory in the Bahamas.

Rahm began the final day at 13-under-par, tied at the top with Tony Finau and Henrik Stenson. But a Sunday 65 from the Spaniard, bettered only by Patrick Cantlay’s 64, saw him finish four clear of Finau in 2nd place.

It was a stellar display from Rahm, who moves up to World No. 6.

“I can say I ball striking-wise my game is where I want it to be,” Rahm said afterwards. “It was perfect today.”

What a victory for @JonRahmPGA. ???

The Spaniard has won the Hero World Challenge.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/p37WzsPlMh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 2, 2018

Justin Rose shot a 65 of his own to finish 3rd, while Stenson’s 71 earned him solo 4th.

At the other end, Tiger Woods finished 17th in the 18-man field, but he’ll be delighted that for the first time since 2013 he has managed to go an entire year without withdrawing from a tournament. His next scheduled appearance is the Genesis Open in February.

Talking Point

There is no secret of the controversy surrounding the fact so many ranking points are dished out for an 18-man invitational, but we were all glad of it when it produced the drama it did on 18.

Justin Rose needed to finish in at least a tie for 2nd in order to move back to World No. 1. The Englishman was at 15-under and, you guessed it, tied for 2nd with Tony Finau, who was stood on the 18th tee. A birdie or better would see Finau take solo 2nd and deny Rose, keeping Brooks Koepka at the summit, while a par or worse would see Rose take top spot.

Finau then drilled his approach at 18 to 10 feet and drained the putt – blissfully unaware of what it meant.

Jon Rahm: "Tony Finau is one of the nicest people in this world."

Try telling that to Justin Rose.

— Alex Perry (@AlexPerryNCG) December 2, 2018

Finau did, of course, have his own ranking points on the line…

Apart from denying ?from moving back to #1, Tony Finau jumped inside the top 10 in the world for the very first time! #OWGR #HeroWorldChallenge

— Nosferatu (@VC606) December 2, 2018

Highlights

7 birdies.
0 bogeys.@JonRahmPGA's 65 gave him the win on Sunday.

Highlights of the round from the Hero World Challenge: pic.twitter.com/SbXMB1eoNT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 3, 2018

European Tour schedule 2018-19

PGA Tour schedule 2018-19

Alex Perry

Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.