BMW Championship Power Rankings: Top ten at Conway Farms

Jon Rahm would clearly be the Rookie of the Year in 2017, if he were eligible for it. What’s impressive is less that he’s doing it with “just” one win, but more with what he’s done around that victory.

In 20 starts this year, not counting the win at the Farmers Insurance Open, Rahm has eight top-ten finishes compared to just two missed cuts. He’s finished second twice (to DJ at the WGC Match Play, and tied with Jordan Spieth behind Kevin Kisner at the Dean & Deluca Invitational) and third twice more. The most recent third-place finish? Behind DJ and Spieth when those two went insane at The Northern Trust.

The point here? Sure, Rahm has won just once, and he struggled in the majors this year. But when the season has been dominated by Johnson, Spieth, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama, what’s the common thread? More often than not, Rahm has been right there to push them to the end. Sure, he needs to grow up a bit at times, but when the results are already this good, it’s hard to argue with his methods.

This week will be Rahm’s first crack at the BMW Championship, but he’s found his groove again after a distinctly difficult stretch of golf this summer. Top-five finishes in each of the first two Playoff events have Rahm primed for even more success, and he’ll have plenty of motivation to boot.

At fifth in the FedEx Cup points race, Rahm is currently in the group of players who can win the season title with a win at East Lake. However, he needs to play well at Conway Farms to defend that position. Look for Rahm to do just that.