Jon Rahm returned to the top of the world rankings with his third victory of the year in the Genesis Invitational.
Rahm carded a closing 69 at Riviera to finish 17 under par, two shots ahead of American Max Homa, with Patrick Cantlay another stroke back in third.
https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1627467134002495488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1627467134002495488%7Ctwgr%5Ea3defe43420b484e063cdd0931b9da9abe03bcf3%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FPGATOUR2Fstatus2F1627467134002495488widget%3DTweet
The victory is Rahm’s fifth in his last nine worldwide starts and his 10th PGA Tour title, one more than his compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros.
“That was a tough week and a tough Sunday,” Rahm told CBS. “Max battled out there and Patrick kind of gave us a scare and I’m just glad I could come through at the end.
“Beating Seve, I know he didn’t play full time on the PGA Tour and I know five of those wins are majors, but still, to reach that milestone of double digit wins is pretty incredible.
“And to do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history and hosted by the man himself, Tiger Woods, it’s a true honour.”
The former US Open champion took a three-shot lead into the final round but saw that wiped out after 10 holes and fell a stroke behind Homa following his third bogey of the day on the 12th.
However, Homa promptly bogeyed the 13th after a wayward drive and Rahm took full advantage, holing from 45ft for birdie on the 14th and then hitting a stunning tee shot to inside three feet on the 16th to set up another.
“I kept telling myself after 12, even though it was a mistake that I made, an unforced error, it’s a really freaking difficult golf course to finish out,” Rahm added.
“I told myself if I can finish the last six holes under par I knew I would have a chance. At that point you’ve just got to find the positive and change focus and I went a bit more on the attack.”
Rahm had previously described the updated rankings system as “laughable” and demanded to know “what’s going on” after failing to move up a place following a third win in five events in January.
His latest victory sees him replace Scottie Scheffler at the top of the rankings, just a week after the Masters champion had overtaken Rory McIlroy by defending his WM Phoenix Open title.
Related: Tiger Woods admits return to top-level golf ‘more difficult’ than he let on
McIlroy, who said on Wednesday he had no problem with the number one ranking becoming a “hot potato”, finished in a tie for 29th after a closing 71.
Woods finished in a tie for 45th after a final round of 73 as he continues to battle with the leg and ankle injuries he suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles two years ago.
“It’s progress, headed in the right direction,” the 47-year-old said. “It certainly was a little bit more difficult than I probably let on.
“My team has been fantastic in getting my body recovered day to day and getting me ready to play each and every day.”
