Rahm ends Johnson’s long reign as World No.1

A lot happened on US Open Sunday. Some of the world’s best players were brought to their knees by Torrey Pines while others rose to the occasion.

Jon Rahm was one of those to impress, sinking tournament-winning birdies on his final two holes to claim a first major title by one stroke over South African Louis Oosthuizen. The Spaniard also won his first PGA Tour title here at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open with a 20-metre final hole eagle.

Jon Rahm’s US Open win returned the Spaniard to the World No.1 spot (Credit: USGA)

The 26-year-old’s week then got even better with news that his victory and Dustin Johnson’s tie for 19th at the US Open would see him move to World No.1 for the first time since mid-2020 where he spent a combined four weeks on top.

Rahm became the first Spanish player after Seve Ballesteros to reach the position with Ballesteros spending a total of 61 weeks as World No.1 between 1986 and 1989.

Johnson now sits in second place, bringing to an end a 43-week streak and a total of 134 weeks across the past four years, which sees him in 3rd place on the all-time list after Tiger Woods (683) and Greg Norman (331).

With Johnson returning as the defending champion at this week’s Travelers Championship and Rahm not playing the event, it might be a short-lived stay as the official world’s best golfer if DJ pulls off an unlikely win.