Rahm became the No. 1 player in the world Sunday with a victory in the Memorial in which he watched an eight-shot lead at the turn shrink to three shots with three holes to play, and then hit what he called the greatest shot of his life that turned into a bogey because of a penalty.
All that mattered was that fist-bump — not a handshake — with Jack Nicklaus, and taking his place alongside his idol Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach No. 1 in the world.
With a two-shot penalty for his ball moving the length of a dimple on his chip-in behind the 16th green, Rahm closed with 3-over 75 for a three-shot victory over Ryan Palmer.