FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Hitting from so far left, the sound of clanging porta-potty doors could be heard nearby, Jon Rahm would not yield. Ball so deep in the muck you couldn’t see it. Thigh-high tallgrass had to be cut through in his backswing. And seeing the green? Forget about it.
The thing about Rahm is that he just won’t go away. He holds his ground, figuratively and literally. So, standing in the nasty stuff — trailing by one hole in the opening match of the Ryder Cup — the Spaniard does not flinch. He whacks it out of the mud and sticks it to 12 feet from the pin, sucking the air out of the American balloon to half the hole.
He was the golfer European captain Luke Donald sent out first, because “I like Jon as a leader.” He was the one who could stare down the alleged supernova — Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas — and, with Tyrell Hatton, beat them 4 and 3.
The one who, when the United States responds by starting world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in Friday’s second 18, can go out first again and make every birdie in Scheffler’s face to steal another point, 3 and 2. Europe leads 5 1/2 to 2 1/2 after the first day of the Ryder Cup, a dominant showing and nearly halfway there to the first road Ryder Cup win by either side since 2012.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to officially state the seemingly obvious: Jon Rahm is next in the line of all-time Ryder Cup legends.
This day felt like the official moment of recognition that Rahm is what every fan base hopes and dreams its stars will be on the biggest stage. He cares … deeply. He reveres his Spanish predecessors such as Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and his old teammate, Sergio Garcia. And even more than Rory McIlroy, he is the golfer whom European captains always throw against the Americans’ best players. Rahm is what America wants Scheffler to be, but the latter is now 2-4-3 in this event after another loss to the former.
WHAT A SHOT RAHM 👏#TeamEurope | #OurTimeOurPlace pic.twitter.com/jOQwWp85gy
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) September 26, 2025
This was the prophecy: Before his debut as a 23-year-old rookie in Paris, then-captain Thomas Bjorn told reporters Rahm was “probably the most exciting player to come in the game since Rory. He’s phenomenal. He’s powerful and strong and has a great attitude to go where he wants to go in this game.” McIlroy, already a superstar, said that week Rahm had the passion of a Seve Ballesteros — “I wasn’t quite as vocal in my first Ryder Cup as he’s been,” McIlroy said, “but I wasn’t as good a player my first Ryder Cup as he is.”
He was seemingly so ready at such a young age — winning five tournaments in two years — that Bjorn sent him off with Justin Rose in the first group of his very first Ryder Cup. They lost by one, but later that week, Rahm announced himself with a Sunday singles win over Tiger Woods. Europe dominated, and from then on, a European star was born.
Don’t look now, but Rahm is 7-1-3 in his last three Cups. He’s 5-0 in foursomes in his career. At 8-3-3 total, this is what Ryder Cup greatness looks like.
Even when Europe got historically romped in 2021 at Whistling Straits, Rahm went 3-1-1. His only loss was in Sunday singles to an ascendant young Scheffler. Rahm insists he played well. Scheffler just earned it.
In Rome, Rahm was again the first man off. He and Hatton took down Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay in different matches.
This dominance has primarily faded into the background behind larger narratives. Europe lost in Whistling Straits, so nobody noticed his success. He thrived in Rome, but Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy took all the attention.
Until Friday. The U.S. put so many of its eggs in the DeChambeau/Thomas basket to begin the day, and they even started so well. But by the eighth hole, Rahm and Hatton had the lead, and six holes later, it was over.
On No. 8, Rahm sank a 17-foot putt to put the pressure on Scheffler, who was 9 feet away. Scheffler missed.
On No. 11, Scheffler missed another birdie chance from 13 feet. Rahm had no issue taking the hole from 9 feet.
On No. 15, when Scheffler thought he stole a hole with a 23-foot birdie, Rahm hit a 20-footer of his own to halve it.
Jon Rahm was so good he left Bryson DeChambeau, pictured, and Scottie Scheffler scratching their heads. (Carl Recine / Getty Images)
Rahm was relentless, an infuriating thorn in the Americans’ side who seemingly found a way to serve both as the volume scorer and the dirty work man in the paint. On paper, it’s not even as if Rahm played that absurdly well. He just hit the winning shots. That kind of player is the type you hold on to at the Ryder Cup. Those are the Seves and the Poulters, and even on the American side, the Patrick Cantlays.
If Rory McIlroy is the biggest star on the European team, and even if you want to say McIlroy is still the best player, Rahm is the undeniable heart and soul of it. It’s something they notice, even if the masses don’t. Back at the 2023 celebratory news conference in Rome, Rahm hardly received any questions, so few that when he was finally asked one, they had to get his attention.
“I didn’t know Rahmbo was there,” Shane Lowry joked.
“Only the best player in the world,” McIlroy said.
It’s only Friday. There is so much golf left to play. Rahm might even lose a point or two this weekend. But the one thing we do know is that Rahm will go up Saturday against the best players the Americans have to offer. And he’ll do it again Sunday.
Say what you will about Jon Rahm, but he was made for this stage.
(Top photo: Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
