Is Rahm the next Tiger-in-waiting?

Spaniard showing all the signs of a prolonged period of dominance

By Matt Smith

SO THE MASTERS has come and gone for yet another year, but it will not be easily forgotten (are any?) for a multitude of reasons.

• We had the threat of a Monday finish as tempest-like weather lashed Augusta National, toppling trees along the way (thankfully no one was hurt).

• We had the threat of a Monday finish as Patrick Cantlay snailed his way around Amen Corner ahead of the final group, with even the American’s playing partner Viktor Hovland losing patience at times and just playing ahead as Cantlay dawdled.

• We had the sad scenes of a heavily limping Tiger Woods ahead of his withdrawal, meaning even the most in-denial of the die-hard fans are realising the end is nigh on a GOAT career.

• We had the warmly welcomed return of the LIV Golf gang (apparently more so than some sections of the media hoped).

• We had the not-so-warmly welcomed return of LIV’s Brooks Koepka to the top of the Masters leaderboard for three ironic days (at least for some members of the PGA Tour board, who must have been praying for one of their own to emerge victorious).

• We had the crowds roaring on a fantastic and nostalgic Phil Mickelson Masters Sunday charge to finish T-2 alongside his fellow LIV-er Koepka.

• And, of course, we had our eventual champion — the now two-time major champ Jon Rahm — and the manner of his victory (a nerveless, flawless, comfortable four strokes in the end, to the relief of Jay Monahan … probably).

All of which has teed us up nicely for the year’s second major — the PGA Championship at Oak Hill from May 18-21.

Such has been the return to form for Rahm over the past 12 months that we have that ‘Next Tiger’ chatter we haven’t heard since the emergence of Jordan Spieth.

Sure, there must have been a dozen ‘Next Tiger Woodses' over the past decade-and-a-half, but there is a certain amount of justification for the hype over Rahm.

Since the start of last May, the Spanish 2021 US Open champion went on a hot streak that is hard to believe. It includes, of course, a Masters victory in April, but he racked up seven total wins in 24 events, had 15 top-10s and missed zero cuts (he withdrew from the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass earlier this year though illness while being well within the cutline).

The stats back it up, too. From teeto-green in 2023, Rahm is as strong as the best around him (Xander Shauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas and McIlroy), and stronger than all where it counts — in putting.

When you add to the numbers the steely resolve that has seen him close out so many tournaments while under immense pressure, you have — in theory — a ready-made Tiger Mk. II.

Should he win at Oak Hill, the Rahm-as-next-Tiger chatter will move into megaphones-on-the-rooftops overdrive.

Should he win ...

Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard heads to Rochester, New York, as the favourite as he hunts the third piece in a career grand slam jigsaw puzzle, but his best performance in the event is a T-4 at Bellerive Country Club, Missouri, in 2018,as Koepka triumphed.

Just as at The Masters, the eligible LIV Golfers will be coming into Oak Hill fresh from a tournament of their own — and it certainly did many of them no harm at Augusta, with Koepka, Mickelson and Patrick Reed inside the top five and 12 of the 18 ‘rebels’ making a cut that saw the likes of Thomas and McIlroy shown the door early.

With the expanded 2023 LIV season gathering pace, it will be an intriguing watch to see how they fare at Oak Hill against their old PGA Tour and DP World Tour stablemates.

Koepka is one of four golfers in the field who are hunting a hat-trick of PGA Championship successes along with Mickelson, McIlroy and Justin Thomas. As the Masters showed, anything can happen at a major.

This month we also see the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Team Series return after France’s Pauline Roussin was the runaway winner last time out in Singapore.

The series continues its mission to bring its innovative team-and-individual-competitions format to new audiences and its American stop has switched from New York to Florida this year.

Lexi Thompson has already confirmed her participation and the Coral Springs native should swell the crowds as it will be a ‘home’ event at Trump International, West Palm Beach.

The 28-year-old is no stranger to the Aramco Team Series, having competed in the inaugural event in London at Centurion Club and will be going for a US ‘double’ having won at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point last October.

As we swing into the summer heat here in the Middle East, things are certainly hotting up abroad, too.

matthew.smith@motivate.ae @mattjosmith / @golfdigestme

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