Jon Rahm: Will Equipment Change Yield a Major Championship in 2021?

Will switching from TaylorMade to Callaway produce big results for Jon Rahm? And could this be the boost he needs to win a major?

Jon “Rahmbo” Rahm recently inked a multi-year equipment deal with Callaway Golf; ditching his former equipment sponsor, TaylorMade, and now becomes the face of Callaway Golf brand. Will Rahm’s equipment change produce a Major Championship victory in 2021?

The exact terms of Rahm’s endorsement deal with Callaway Golf has yet to be disclosed, but one can assume it is quite sizable. Make no mistake about it, this is a massive coup for Callaway Golf as it begins it’s inevitable change from former face of the brand, Phil “Lefty” Mickelson, to the big Spaniard, Rahm. Rahm’s agreement with Callaway Golf is huge for the brand as it tries to compete with golf’s premiere equipment manufacturers, Titleist and TaylorMade, all the while staying in front of equipment competitors such as Ping, Mizuno, Cobra, etc.

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Rahm joins notable Callaway Golf staffers Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and Marc Leishman. Rahm, now entering his prime at the age of 26, ranked #2 in the OWGR; is set to join the list of fellow countrymen Seve Ballesteros, Jose-Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia as the next great Spaniard to win a Major Championship.

However, Rahm is also joining another list: a list most players do not want to be associated with.

Although his career is still young, Rahm has joined the fraternity of the most talented players on Tour who have yet to win a Major Championship. One could argue that Rahm now tops that list, followed by the likes of Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Hideki Matsuyama and of course, Rickie Fowler.

Rahm will tee it up this week at the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions equipped with a full bag of Callaway clubs, prototype driver/woods, irons, an Odyssey putter and the Chrome Soft X golf ball. Rahm reportedly hasn’t had a tough time getting acclimated to his new equipment. He recently shot a course-record 59 at Silver Leaf Country Club in Scottsdale, AZ. The question is: will Rahm’s equipment change yield a Major Championship win in 2021? Let’s take a look at the 2021 Major Championship venues and where Rahm may pick up his first career Major Championship after switching to Callaway Golf equipment.

Masters Tournament (Augusta National Golf Course) April 8-11, 2021

Rahm has played particularly well at the Masters Tournament throughout his career. Rahm has three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters since 2018. His career finishes at the Masters are as follows: T7, T9, 4 and T27. The 2021 Masters seems to be Rahm’s best chance at a Major Championship, however, April sneaks up on young players fast and I tend to believe that Rahm will experience some growing pains with his new equipment. I still expect Rahm to be in contention, but he will ultimately fall just short. Prediction: T5

PGA Championship (The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort) May 20-23, 2021

Rahm finished the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park at a respectable T13. Just another ho-hum finish at a Major for the young Spaniard. Rahm’s strokes gained tee-to-green that week were 5th and total strokes gained were13th in the field. One has to figure Rahm’s elite strokes gained statistics will continue to rise going into the 2021 PGA Championship. Rahm’s career finishes at the PGA Championship since his debut in 2017 are T58, T4, MC and T13. Prediction: T11

U.S. Open (Torrey Pines South Course) June 17-20, 2021

Rahm has participated in five U.S. Open’s since 2016; which include two missed cuts, two T23 and T3. More importantly, Rahm’s T3 came at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2019. Rahm has historically played well in Southern California and it just so happens that the 2021 U.S. Open is being held at Torrey Pines South Course in San Diego, California. What makes this venue so appealing for Rahm in his quest to capture his first career Major Championship is his past success at Torrey Pines. The Farmers Insurance Open is held at Torrey Pines, and since 2017 Rahm has some impressive finishes at said event: 1st, T29, T5 and 2nd. For the sake of argument, let’s go ahead and presume Rahm starts to heat up during the summer months, gets used to his new equipment, posts a handful of top-10 finishes at PGA Tour events prior to the U.S. Open and goes on to win the 2021 U.S. Open, besting the likes of Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson. Prediction: 1st

Open Championship (Royal St. George’s Golf Course) July 15-18, 2021

Although International players seem to cherish the honor of being deemed Champion Golfer of the Year, Rahm will come out flat and experience a bit of a U.S. Open hangover. There was no Open Championship in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it an unprecedent year for golf. Rahm’s best finish at the Open Championship was T11 in 2019 at Royal Portrush. Rahm’s other finishes at the Open Championship are MC, T44 and T59. His history at the Open Championship simply doesn’t warrant a legitimate chance at capturing this Major Championship. Prediction: MC

After an equipment change to Callaway Golf in 2021, Jon Rahm looks to win his first Major Championship of his career. Will the switch from TaylorMade to Callaway Golf equipment hurt or help his chances? Only time will tell, but his wallet says: who cares!