Jon Rahm came to the Mexico Open at Vidanta as the heavy favourite to win with Tiger Woods-like odds of 4-1. Though Rahm didn’t exactly coast to his first victory of the season, he grabbed a one-shot win over Kurt Kitayama, Tony Finau and Brandon Wu for his first title since the US Open last year at Torrey Pines.
Rahm, who said he felt “really comfortable off the tee” after his opening-round 64, backed that statement up with terrific play with the driver. For the week he ranked first in strokes gained/off-the-tee, picking up more than six shots on the field. He also ranked third in driving distance at an eye-catching 340.4-yard average.
According to Callaway, Rahm seeks a launch window with his driver that produces between 10 to 12 degrees of launch angle with spin in the 2,200- to 2,500-rpm range and can usually tell right away if the club is right for him and can deliver the shots he wants to hit. For Rahm that meant going to the company’s new Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS driver – a very low-spin club – with 10.5 degrees of loft and an Aldila Tour Green 75 TX shaft, which is a bit on the heavy side for PGA Tour players.
Rahm’s driving prowess put him in position to hit 55 greens in regulation, ranked T-7 in the field. Rahm’s irons are Callaway’s Apex TCB with Project X 6.5 Rifle shafts with Golf Pride MMC grips.
Still, the outcome was iffy until Rahm provided some breathing room with an 11-footer for birdie on the par-5 14th with his Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S that he first put into play last season. The putter features a slant neck and no sightline – a trait Rahm has favoured since using a TaylorMade mallet with no sightline to win the 2017 Farmers at Torrey Pines. According to Odyssey, Rahm felt the slant neck allowed him to square the face and make an aggressive stroke.
Which is the type of stroke one would expect from the odds-on favourite.
What Jon Rahm had in the bag at the Mexico Open at Vidanta
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X
Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS (Aldila Tour Green 75 TX), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Epic Speed, 15 degrees
5-wood: Callaway Epic Speed, 18 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Callaway Apex TCB
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Forged (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S
[IMAGE: Getty]
