Before they turned pro: Jon Rahm

April 9, 2023 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

- Jon Rahm's win at the 2012 Cullum Invitational was one of 11 in his ASU career<br>(Arizona State photo)

We could all see this coming: the two-time major champion was a top amateur in Spain and at Arizona State

Jon Rahm's win at the 2023 Masters Tournament, following his first major at the 2021 U.S. Open, was the culmination of a trajectory that was years in the making, going all the way back to a top-five finish in the Spanish Stroke Play at the age of 15 in 2010.

Two years later, Rahm earned medalist honors at the European Nations / Sotogrande Cup, but he really took off when he reached Arizona State. As a freshman, he finished second in the NCAA Championship, and the following year he was low scorer at the World Amateur Team Championship (Eisenhower Trophy). He was the back-to-back Spanish Stroke Play champion and ended up winning 11 college tournaments for the Sun Devils, second only to Phil Mickelson in program history.

He achieved No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and earned the Mark McCormack Medal as the top-ranked player. He was the first player ever to earn back-to-back Ben Hogan Awards as the nation's top college golfer.

He previewed his success as a professional by excelling in PGA Tour events as an amateur, with a top-5 finish in the Phoenix Open, and top-10 in the Mayakoba Classic, and low-amateur honors at the U.S. Open.

Here are a few of the stories from our coverage of Jon Rahm the amateur:

Jon Rahm shoots 64 in first professional round at Quicken Loans National
Jun 23, 2016 - Jon Rahm impresses in first round as a professional at Congressional Country Club
Best of the Weekend: Jon Rahm is Low Amateur at U.S. Open and more
Jun 20, 2016 - Jon Rahm impresses in amateur swan song at U.S. Open, plus three Majors of Amateur Golf concluded over the weekend
Jon Rahm finishes as Low Amateur at U.S. Open
Jun 19, 2016 - Jon Rahm gets hot with birdies on four of five holes during 1-under 34 front nine
Jon Rahm makes U.S Open cut
Jun 18, 2016 - Jon Rahm is only amateur to make it to the weekend at the weekend at Oakmont Country Club
Jon Rahm becomes first repeat winner of Ben Hogan Award
May 23, 2016 - For the second-straight year, Arizona State senior Jon Rahm is the 2016 winner of The Ben Hogan Award as top collegiate/amateur golfer
Hossler, McNealy and Rahm selected as Hogan Award finalists
May 03, 2016 - Texas junior Beau Hossler, Stanford junior Maverick McNealy and Arizona State senior Jon Rahm are the 2016 finalists for The Ben Hogan Award
Stanford, ASU's Jon Rahm win Pac-12 Championship
May 01, 2016 - Stanford blows out the best of the west while Jon Rahm earns individual honors
10 semifinalists named for 2016 The Ben Hogan Award
Apr 13, 2016 - Last year's winner Jon Rahm headlines list that includes five previous semifinalists and five newcomers
Rahm, Iowa State Winners at ASU Thunderbird
Apr 03, 2016 - Iowa State continues their hot play with a win over three of the nations top 20 teams; Jon Rahm wins his third consecutive
Arizona State gets red hot, grabs Prestige lead at PGA West
Feb 16, 2016 - Arizona State lops 18 shots off of their Monday score, posting 15-under paced by Jon Rahm's 6-under 30 on the back nine and round of 66
Jon Rahm honored with McCormack Medal as world's top-ranked amateur
Aug 26, 2015 - The first-team All-American contended in the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, tying for fifth place
Jon Rahm goes wire-to-wire to repeat at Spanish Stroke Play
Jul 26, 2015 - Superstar senior Jon Rahm of the Arizona State men's golf team never trailed during the four-round Spanish Stroke Play
Jon Rahm named 2015 Ben Hogan Award recipient
May 18, 2015 - Spaniard Jon Rahm, of ASU was announced as the 2015 Ben Hogan Award winner at a press conference held at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday evening
Quarterly "Player-of-the-Year" Update: Jon Rahm out in front
Apr 02, 2015 - Spain's Jon Rahm has a nice lead for World Player-of-the-Year honors thanks to a top-five finish at a PGA Tour event
Amateur Jon Rahm ties for fifth at PGA TOUR's Phoenix Open
Feb 01, 2015 - Arizona State junior and native of Spain not only made the cut in Scottsdale, but finished just three shots back in fifth place