PGA Tour: 5 players hoping to pick up where they left off

Jon Rahm

If anyone has challenged Rory McIlroy for the title of best player in the world over the past 12 months, it’s Jon Rahm.

The Spaniard has played five events on the PGA Tour this season; he’s been in the top-10 four times. Rahm hasn’t finished worse than 17th in an event since the Charles Schwab Challenge last year. Including starts in Europe, he’s been either first or second in seven of his last 17 events.

Rahm and McIlroy will get to settle the debate of who is the best right now this week at Colonial. They are paired together, along with Brooks Koepka, in one of the featured groups for the first two rounds. Rahm has risen up to second in the world rankings, behind McIlroy. He trails only Tyrrell Hatton and McIlroy in total strokes gained this season. He’s also in the top-5 on tour in both driving and putting.

He also has something McIlroy doesn’t: experience at Colonial. Rahm finished second in 2017 and fifth in 2018 (he missed the cut last year).

The only thing that could’ve cooled Rahm off was a three-month layoff. He’ll have to prove he can keep up his incredible run of play, and that starts this week.