2021 U.S. Open: Jon Rahm collecting major titles feels inevitable after securing first at Torrey Pines

The No. 1 player in the world feels like an inevitability

LA JOLLA, Calif. – There is a mistake that is made when good golfers win great championships. Immediately, the question in this world becomes, "But wait, how many more majors can he win?" Instead of staying in the moment, the moment gets projected onto the future canvas of this sport. However, Jon Rahm is not simply a good golfer. He's an elite one. He is maybe the very best of a group of hall-of-fame golfers. He wins at a 10% clip, which, depending on what window of time you want to look at for different players, is among the very best numbers in the post-Tiger Woods era. Currently, Rory McIlroy Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas are at 8%. Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth are at 7%. Rahm clearly stands out in a group of standouts. Among the top 150 golfers in the world right now, Rahm has the second-best career tee-to-green number (only McIlroy has been better), according to Data Golf. However, Rahm is by far the best putter of anybody in the top 10. He has no holes. There are other guys who have no holes (Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele), but Rahm is able to cash in his seamlessness across statistical silos in the form of wins in ways other golfers are simply unable to do. He has a comprehensive -- and intangible -- sense of the moment that is both a vague reference sportswriters make and also the most obvious thing in the world if you watch sports.