Welcome to Spotted on Tour, where we’ll highlight buzzy apparel, gear, gadgets and more that caught our eye over the weekend. Better yet, we’ll help you get your hands on your own.
Jon Rahm woke up on Monday morning on top of the golf world — literally. The 25-year-old has been one of golf’s brightest young stars for some time, but Monday, he woke up as Memorial Tournament champion and only the second Spaniard ever to hold the title of World No. 1.
It’s been a week worth remembering for Rahm, if for no reason other than the ridiculous (and controversial) moment that dominated the last three holes of his final round.
On the par-3 16th hole, Rahm hit the shot of the tournament (and perhaps the shot of the year), holing out for birdie from DEEP in the rough behind the green to solidify his lead.
Jon Rahm’s miraculous chip-in complicated by rules controversy
Of course, what followed — a review that deemed Rahm’s ball moved at address and assessed the leader an ultimately meaningless two-stroke penalty — ignited a good, old-fashioned golf rules debate. But the rules infraction shouldn’t minimize the complexity and impressiveness of the shot itself.
Rahm’s hole-out represented a near-perfect intersection of skill, touch and response. If he were to hit another 99 shots from the same location with the same TaylorMade wedge, he might not hole any of them. But in the right moment with the right club in his hand, he fashioned what is sure to be the most memorable chip-in bogey of his career.
Speaking of the club in his hand, Rahm’s TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 deserves at least some of the credit for the shot of the weekend (even if its thickened head might hold some responsibility for the millimeter shift in his ball that caused the penalty).
ZTP raw grooves in Rahm’s Milled Grind 2 cut deeper to provide zippier shots, while CNC milling ensures consistency throughout the lead edge and sole of the wedge. The club’s raw finish means it rusts with age, but that’s the price of a wedge designed for premium performance when you need birdies — erm, bogeys.
