U.S. Open 5 years ago: Jon Rahm's first major title came on heels of COVID episode
· Yahoo Sports
Jon Rahm no longer needs to prove he has the temperament to win a major championship. He already did it — on the grandest U.S. Open stage, under the heaviest pressure the game can offer.
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As the 2026 U.S. Open approaches, Rahm’s defining moment still resonates: a fearless, closing punch at Torrey Pines, when he buried a 25-foot birdie at the 71st hole in 2021 and followed it with another from 18 feet at the last to seize the first of his two major titles. That birdie-birdie finish, equal parts nerve and conviction, remains a template for how this championship is won.
At one point, on the front nine, there were five players tied for the lead and five players one stroke behind. Among the star-studded leaderboard were Rory McIlroy, who was chasing his fifth major and first since 2014, Bryson DeChambeau trying to defend his title, Brooks Koepka attempting to win his third U.S. Open in a five-year span, and Collin Morikawa, who was trying to become the fifth American player since World War II to capture multiple major championships before age 28.Rahm, the World No. 3, delivered his first major title just 15 days after he tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament ahead of the final round despite a commanding six-stroke lead. He took the news hard initially, but accepted the decision with grace and was cleared to play in the major after spending time in self-quarantine. But it didn’t come without consequences: Rahm missed being present when his parents arrived from Spain and met his son, Kepa, born in April, for the first time.
“That was truly, truly a hard thing,” Rahm said.Rahm, now 31, reached World No. 1 in 2019, and the question then had been when, not if, he would win a major. All that seemingly held him back was a temper that always seems on the verge of self-combustion. When asked how he managed to keep his composure at the most mentally-taxing championship, he snapped: “Am I ever going to escape that question?”“He is a gentle giant,” said Phil Mickelson, a fellow product of Arizona State who served as a mentor to Rahm. “He's got the kindest heart, and yet he has a great fire and passion to the game.”
Rahm opened with rounds of 69-70-72 and trailed the three 54-hole co-leaders – Russell Henley, Mackenzie Hughes and Oosthuizen – by three strokes heading into the final round. Needing to make a Sunday charge, Rahm came out of the gate like a raging bull, making birdies at the first two holes and surviving a couple of loose tee shots at the third and fourth, which led to his lone bogey of the day, and the ninth, which, thanks to a free drop, he converted into a birdie to join the trophy hunt.
As others faltered — including DeChambeau, who held a one-stroke lead with nine holes to go, only to shoot 77 and finish nine strokes off the pace — Rahm played steady golf. He kept his composure and reeled off seven straight pars before his dramatic birdie-birdie finish to match the low round of the week and finish at 6-under-par 278.Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 British Open, finished second for the sixth time at a major and the second consecutive major in a row, having finished second to Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship last month. A bogey at the 17th hole after pulling his drive into a penalty area meant Oosthuizen needed to make eagle on the 72nd hole and he managed only a birdie.
But it was Rahm’s week in a city that always has been good to him, including when he dropped to one knee and asked his wife, Kelley, to marry him during a hike at nearby Torrey Pines Reserve Park.
Rahm, who became the first Spaniard to win a U.S. Open, walked off the 72nd green and hugged his wife and cradled his son. It capped off a first Father’s Day he’ll never forget.
“You have no idea what this means right now,” he said to Kepa. “You will soon enough.”
A version of this story appeared on Golfweek when Rahm won. Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 5 years ago Jon Rahm's first major title came on heels of COVID episode