Memorial Tournament: Jon Rahm number one in the world with victory

Without an audience and with a masked Jack Nicklaus most of the time, Jon Rahm's victory at the Memorial Tournament is none the less striking with his eleventh professional title, the fourth on the PGA Tour. At 25, the Basque Massif takes the place of world number one in Rory McIlroy and becomes the fifth youngest golfer to reach this summit. Thirty-one years after the late Severiano Ballesteros, Rahm is now the second Spanish world number one in history. The second week in a row at Muirfield Village (a first for 63 years), crowns one of the greatest champions of recent years, who is only missing one title in Major to make history! With eight strokes ahead of the second after the first leg, Rahm was off for a record victory. His start of the return journey (bogey at hole number 10, double-bogey at 11 and bogey at 14) relaunched Ryan Palmer who chained the pars (with a bonus birdie at 12). But hole number 16 would definitively seal the result of the day, with a spectacular turning point which will also revive the controversies related to video arbitration.

The winning putt. @JonRahmPGAis victorious at Muirfield Village. # QuickHitspic.twitter.com / UDuFPf43iV

Hit of the week tainted with a penalty

Mired in the rough of par 3 of hole number 16, made particularly delicate by the position of the flag behind the water obstacle, Jon Rahm executed a perfect chip which ended its race in the hole! The certified copy of that of Tiger Woods on this same hole during his victory in 2012! Even Ryan Palmer bowed, reaching out to clap the Spaniard's hand. With this birdie, mass was said ... or almost! Because the referees wanted to prolong the suspense by hovering a penalty ... After watching video through a magnifying glass, it was suddenly obvious that the Spanish club had slightly moved the ball, but there was always l grass between the club head and the ball when playing the stroke and the penalty is extremely severe and perhaps even contrary to the spirit of the game. If some well-intentioned bars offer hanging coffees, the referees would be well advised to stop their suspended penalties which fall long after the coup, when they are questionable (not like that of Patrick Reed during the Hero World Challenge 2019 which was blatant). Imagine for a moment that Jon Rahm only won with one stroke ahead and that the disputed penalty thus offered victory to Ryan Palmer, thereby depriving the Spaniard of the number one place in the world ...

UNBELIEVABLE! @JonRahmPGAholes out for birdie on 16.

The lead is now 4 with 2 to play. # QuickHitspic.twitter.com / jsqB9wK6HB

Disappointing return for Tiger Woods

Almost twenty years older, the American Ryan Palmer therefore lost three shots. After a great day spent with his former partner in the double victory at the Zurich Classic in 2019 (as evidenced by their clap in the hand at 16), the Texan will console himself with an 18th consecutive season with at least a top 10 validated and above all a ticket to the US Open (the other ticket to the Canadian Mackenzie Hughes). With continuous rain and a gusty wind reminding them of their green British meadows, the British were smiling with third place from Matthew Fitzpatrick (the only player under 70 on Sunday) and fourth place from Matt Wallace (alongside the former Australian world number one Jason Day). For his return to competition, Tiger Woods was less smiling after his 40th place (+6) and an alert with back pain on Friday. Rory McIlroy gives up his world number one chair without really having been able to fight (32nd). French number one Victor Perez had missed his third cut on Friday as many participations since the resumption of the PGA Tour. That same day on Friday was especially marked by the deplorable attitude of Bryson DeChambeau towards the referees by trying to negotiate a ball barely out of bounds, while he was fighting to pass the cut ... vain. Enough to build an image of "bad boy", worthy of that of a Patrick Reed ...