Who’s better since the restart than Daniel Berger?
By Bill Felber
4. Jon Rahm, -0.68
Rahm is not merely a fun guy to watch; since the restart he’s also been one of the Tour’s true megastars.
In his restart debut – at the Schwab Challenge – Rahm shot 69-71 and missed the cut.
Throw that result out and he’s been awesome, with victories at the Memorial and the BMW, a runner-up to Cantlay at the Zozo and five other top 10s. Through 66 post-restart rounds, his scoring average is 68.94.
He has beaten the four-round field average at 14 of his 17 starts, failing to do so only at the Schwab, the Travelers last July and the FedEx St. Jude last summer. In seven of those 17 starts, his superiority over the field exceeded one full standard deviation, peaking at 2.60 standard deviations during his victory at the Memorial.
In his 11 starts since the St. Jude, he’s only once finished outside the top 20, that a tie for 23rd at the US Open. Seven of those 11 starts produced top 10 finishes. No wonder Rahm stands second in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Sixteen times since the restart he’s turned in a score of 66 or better. He’s only topped 72 eight times, his worst being a 76 at Winged Foot. Most people can look past a 76 at Winged Foot.