Jon Rahm made such a big impression on collegiate talent scouts that he was soon plucked from the Basque country and set on a fast track to the top of the world golf rankings.
The Spaniard made waves during his time at Arizona State University but held out against turning professional until he had collected a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.
A powerful player who is also possessed of incredible finesse and an uncanny ability to nail long putts, he is nicknamed Rahmbo by his peers.
He was the number one ranked amateur in the world for a record 60 weeks in two stints between April 2015 and June 2016.
Rahm turned professional in 2016 shortly after impressing as the best-placed amateur at the US Open.
Rahm racked up multiple wins on the PGA and European Tours and victory in the 2020 Memorial Tournament saw him become the 24th man and just the second Spaniard to top the world golf rankings, a spot he would concede in early 2022.
A Major still eluded him but Rahm climbed that mountain with a brilliant victory in the 2021 US Open at Torrey Pines, holing birdie putts at the final two holes to win by one.
That victory on the California coastline also saw him return to World No.1.
After ending 2021 with a fine performance in a losing cause at the Ryder Cup he struggled early in 2022 before offering hope of a reversal of that form with victory in the Mexico Open in May.
Later that year he won his third Open de Espanan title and the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
In 2023, Rahm added to his Majors collection by winning the green jacket at the 87th Masters, four strokes ahead of Brooks Koepka and unlikely challenger Phil Mickelson.
After playing a key part in Europe's 2023 Ryder Cup victory, he made a surprise switch to the LIV Golf tour in December 2023.
Amateur career
Rahm joined The Sun Devils for the 2012-13 collegiate season, posting event wins at both the Bill Cullum Invitational and the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic in his freshman year. He was named the 2012-13 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year too.
By the time he left Arizona State, Rahm had racked up an impressive 11 collegiate tournament wins and also claimed the Spanish Amateur title in 2014 and 2015.
He was the first golfer to win the Ben Hogan Award twice and he also recorded a top-five finish at the Phoenix Open, on the PGA Tour, while still an amateur.
After dominating the amateur rankings in 2015, he was awarded the Mark H. McCormack Medal, granting him entry into the 2016 US Open and Open Championship.
Before turning professional, he was also awarded the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award as the top collegiate golfer.
Turning pro
A big man with a deft touch, Rahm's decision to turn professional was accompanied by high expectations after his glittering amateur career.
His first tour win showed his flair for the dramatic as he drained a 60-foot eagle putt on the final hole to win the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open in his rookie campaign on the PGA Tour. This saw him jump into the top 50 of the world rankings.
Rahm enjoyed a tremendous run in his first WGC Match Play, going 3-0 in round-robin play, including a victory over compatriot Sergio Garcia, before racing through the knockout stages. He lost the final against Dustin Johnson, but showed great spirit in fighting back from five-down to force the final to the 18th hole.
He has enjoyed success on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour, claiming the Irish Open twice to go with two titles won in his native Spain.
Late in 2018 he made his Ryder Cup debut, a week that featured victory in the singles over Tiger Woods, and shortly afterward he was invited to, and won, Woods' Hero World Challenge.
Rahm was ninth on the PGA Tour's money list in 2019 after notching 12 top 10 finishes across the season.
He ended the same season in sensational style on the European Tour, winning not only the DP World Tour Championship, but with it the Race to Dubai and a $5million bounty.
Leading the world
A month into the restarted 2020 season, Rahm seized the world number one ranking with a three-stroke victory in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Rahm sparked something of a bunfight for the top spot, sitting there for two weeks before surrendering it to Justin Thomas.
After finishing in a tie for 13th at the PGA Championship, Rahm then returned to the summit.
His reign was again terminated after a fortnight and even a dramatic playoff defeat of new number one Johnson at the BMW Championship was not enough to regain his crown.
His consolation was a 12th professional tournament win, secured when a double-breaking 60-foot putt dropped at the first extra hole.
Later in the year, he hit a remarkable trick shot hole-in-one in practice ahead of the 2020 Masters, skipping the ball over the pond on the 16th hole before watching it roll in.
Rahm went on to record his fifth top 10 finish in a Major Championship at Augusta, but the wait for a first win continued.
Rahm becomes a Major champion
Rahm had to make a late dash to the 2021 Masters after his wife Kelley gave birth to their first child in early April. Despite the rushed preparation the new father finished fast to take tied fifth.
He added a seventh Majors top 10 with tied eighth at the PGA Championship but Rahm knew his big chance would come the following month at Torrey Pines - the scene of his first PGA TOUR win in 2017.
He grabbed it with both hands. Despite entering the final round three back and with a host of top-class names around him, Rahm pressed the accelerator at the perfect time, making birdie at the final two holes to score a thrilling win and win his first Major title.
Winning the green jacket at the 2023 Masters
Forty years after the late Seve Ballesteros won his second Masters title and on what would have been his 66th birthday, Rahm became the fourth Spanish winner at Augusta National after Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.
The 2021 US Open champion, who had four-putted the first hole on Thursday, carded a closing 69 to finish 12 under par, four shots clear of Phil Mickelson and long-time leader Brooks Koepka.
Koepka struggled to a final round of 75 and it was Mickelson who put the most pressure on Rahm with a brilliant 65 to equal his lowest score at Augusta, his other coming in the first round 27 years ago.
"History of the game is a big part of why I play and one of the reasons why I play, and Seve being one of them," said Rahm, whose father took up golf after watching Ballesteros captain Europe to victory in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama.
"If it wasn't for that Ryder Cup in '97, my dad and I talk about it all the time, we don't know where I would be or where as a family we would be.
"For me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his win, his birthday, on Easter Sunday, it's incredibly meaningful."
"To finish it off the way I did, an unusual par, very much a Seve par, it was [unintentionally] a testament to him, and I know he was pulling for me today.
"This one is for Seve. I knew he would be up there helping and help he did."
LIV golf switch
Rahm joined LIV Golf on December 8, 2023 in a massive coup for the Saudi-funded breakaway.
The 29-year-old became the second current major champion on the LIV circuit after US PGA champion Brooks Koepka.
“Every decision I feel like we make in life there will be somebody who agrees and likes it and somebody who doesn’t, right,” Rahm said.
“I made this decision because I believe it’s the best for me and my family and everybody I’ve been able to talk to has been really supportive of me, so I’m very comfortable with my decision.
“I’m no stranger to hearing some negative things on social media or in media. It’s part of what it is, we’re public figures but you just learn to deal with it right? This certainly won’t define who I am or change who I am.”
Following confirmation of his switch to LIV, Rahm added in an official press release statement: “I am proud to join LIV Golf and be part of something new that is bringing growth to the sport.
“I have no doubt that this is a great opportunity for me and my family and am very excited for the future.”
Rahm played a leading role in Europe’s 2023 Ryder Cup victory in Rome – but joining LIV placed his future in the contest in serious jeopardy as he needs to remain a DP World Tour member to be eligible.
On his Ryder Cup future, Rahm said in the conference call: “My position with the Ryder Cup stands as it’s always been. I love the Ryder Cup.
“I’ve explained many times how meaningful it is to me and I surely hope I can be in future editions of the Ryder Cup.
“That’s not up to me right now, but if it was up to me, I’ll be eligible to play so I surely hope I can keep up the good golf, keep playing good golf and give them a reason to have me on the team.”
“It’s a big risk to take, but I’ve had it in consideration and again, I’m hopeful that I can be part of the team again.”
Rahm expressed his “fealty” to the PGA Tour in February 2022 and, in September that year, rubbished rumours that he would jump ship in reply to a post on Twitter which claimed he was about to sign for LIV.
The Spaniard had gone on record to state “my heart is with the PGA Tour”, but later admitted players felt a sense of “betrayal” at the secret deal which was negotiated between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf.
Speaking ahead of the 2022 US Open at Brookline, the week after LIV had staged its first event, Rahm also said the 54-hole format held no appeal and hinted that he had turned down an offer of 400million US dollars (£315m) to switch circuits.
However, after signing on with LIV, the Spaniard said: “Obviously the past two years there’s been a lot of evolving on the game of golf, things have changed a lot and so have I.
“Seeing the growth of LIV Golf, seeing the evolution of LIV Golf and innovation is something that has really captured my attention.
“I think the growth that I’ve seen and how it’s become a global business, right, and how we can impact golf globally, and in a much meaningful way, is something that’s been very enticing.
“For all those things that I like about this movement, there’s always going to be some things that are not perfect, but that’s the situation in everybody’s life.
“With that said, it’s an ever-growing and ever-changing machine, right. So I’m hopeful that the leaders of LIV Golf might listen to some of my advice and maybe see some changes in the future for the better of the game.”
Jon Rahm's personal life
Rahm has permanently relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he lives with his wife Kelley Cahill, who he married in 2019.
The couple welcomed a first son, Kepa Cahill, to the world in the week before the 2021 Masters, their second child Eneko Cahill Rahm arrived in August 2022.
Rahm's father pushed his move to the United States to further his golfing career. His parents got him into golf after they took up the sport in the wake of the 1997 Ryder Cup, which they watched at Valderrama.
Despite the move to the US, Rahm hasn't forgotten his Basque roots. He supports the Athletic Bilbao soccer team and was honored as a special guest of the club at a match in 2019.
Rahm credits hip-hop music with helping him learn to speak English and adjust to life in the United States, saying Eminem's Love The Way You Lie and Kendrick Lamar's Swimming Pools are his favorite tracks.
He met his wife at Arizona State University, where she was also an athlete. Now a model, Cahill is a former collegiate javelin thrower.
Jon Rahm's net worth
Rahm only turned professional in 2016 but has already earned more than $30million in combined prize money from the PGA and European Tours.
His net worth is estimated to be somewhere in the region of $20million with sponsorship deals and endorsements from major brands.
Rahm enjoys marketing relationships with NetJets, Rolex and Mercedes Benz. He is a Brand Ambassador for Arizona-based software firm Blue Yonder.
He also has deals with TaylorMade as his equipment supplier and a commercial association with the Silver Leaf Golf Resort and Spa.
Rahm has earned more than $5million in a single season twice in four full PGA Tour campaigns, and he is already in the top 50 on the Tour's career money leaders' list.
