Rahm overcomes penalty to take Memorial and top ranking
Spain's Jon Rahm overcame nerves and a two-shot penalty to claim victory at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday and replace Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings.
Rahm began the final round at a steamy and gusty Muirfield Village Golf Club with a four-shot lead and padded that to eight with nine holes to play, but late drama saw his advantage shrink to three before the 25-year-old sealed his fourth PGA Tour win.
Rahm, who joins childhood hero Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to hold the top ranking, celebrated with a massive fist pump in fading light and near silence with spectators still banned due to COVID-19 restrictions.
"I don't know how to describe it," said Rahm. "It's been a goal since I was 13-, 14-years-old.
"I remember I heard a story on the radio from my swing coach back in Spain, Eduardo Celles. We were driving somewhere and he asked me what my goals were and my ambitions and this and that, and I remember telling him I'm going to be the best player in the world."
Rahm's final round of three-over 75 saw him finish on nine-under 279, three shots ahead of Ryan Palmer (74), with Matthew Fitzpatrick (68) in third on 283, and Matt Wallace (72) and Australian Jason Day (73) one shot further back.
Rahm's round began to unravel with a bogey at 10 followed by a double-bogey at 11, while Palmer rolled in a birdie at 12, and when he missed a routine three-footer to take bogey at the 14th the Spaniard's once commanding lead was reduced to three.
But the big-hitting Spaniard steadied the ship with a flash of brilliance at the 16th, chipping in from 30-feet to restore a four-shot cushion with two to play.
There was more late drama, however, when Rahm was later handed a two-shot penalty when his ball moved while addressing the shot at 16.
Rahm was unaware of that penalty and, after Palmer bogeyed the 17th, walked to the 18th tee without being told his lead was three strokes, not five.
"As unfortunate as it is to have this happen, it was a great shot, serious," said Rahm. "What it goes to show is you never know what's going to happen."
"So I'm glad I grinded those last two up-and-downs because had I missed both of them, plus the penalty stroke, maybe Ryan finishes strong, I would be in a playoff, and I'm glad I finished it off good.
"But it did move, so I'll accept the penalty, and it still doesn't change the outcome of the tournament."
Woods focuses on the positives after stumbling finish at Memorial
Tiger Woods' first PGA Tour event in five months ended with a grinding final round four-over 76 at the Memorial Tournament on Sunday, but the 15-times major winner said he was leaving Muirfield Village Golf Club focused on the positives.
Woods, who last competed on the PGA Tour in mid-February at the Genesis Invitational where he finished last among players who made the cut, showed a bit of promise but plenty of rust on a layout where he had won five times.
The Memorial offered up a mixed bag for Woods as he returned two promising rounds of one-under 71 but then offset those with two far less impressive 76s.
Woods finished well down the leaderboard on six-over 294 but shrugged off the score as a result of diabolical conditions in Dublin, Ohio combining with some shabby putting and a lack of competitive rounds.
"As far as my swing, it felt good," said Woods, summing up his performance. "I was able to hit good shots."
"Friday was a bit off physically, but overall for my first week back it was a lot... of positives."
Woods got his round off to a bright start with a birdie at the first but there was little to smile about the rest of day.
The 44-year-old reigning Masters champion carded his first bogey at the fourth then stumbled into the turn with a double-bogey at the par five seventh followed by two more bogeys at eight and nine.
After yet another bogey at 11, Woods had looked poised to at least head off on a high note after picking up back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17 only to collect his fifth bogey of the day at the last.
Despite Woods' complaints about his putting, he showed some masterly touches on the greens with his three birdies all coming courtesy of monster putts of 35, 22 and 18 feet.
"I think I need to work on my putting a bit and clean that up," he said. "Tough, tough conditions to start out my first week back but it was good to get the feel and the flow of competing again."
Asked what his tournament schedule is going to be and when he will be back out on the course Woods had a one word answer.
"Soon," he said.
