In the spring of 2016, Jon Rahm closed a chapter no amateur golfer had ever written. The Spaniard had held the World Amateur Golf Ranking No.1 position for a record 60 weeks across two stints, the longest reign in the ranking’s history.
Sixty weeks at the summit
The record spanned from April 2015 to June 2016, built during a dominant junior season at Arizona State. He climbed to the top spot, surrendered it briefly, then reclaimed it. No player had stayed there longer, and the mark stood until Keita Nakajima surpassed it in 2022.
Oakmont becomes the goodbye
His final act as an amateur came at the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. Rahm opened with a 76 but fought back with rounds of 69, 72 and a closing even‑par 70. He was the only amateur to survive the cut, tying for 23rd on a punishing layout.
The Sunday galleries saw an early surge. After a bogey on the first, Rahm rolled in a birdie on the second hole and kept charging. He poured a putt from over 20 feet on the sixth green, punctuating it with a firm right‑fist pump.
Earlier in the week, the highlight came at the 674‑yard par‑5 12th. Having laid up, Rahm spun his third shot back into the cup for an eagle. It was a shot that signalled he already belonged on grander stages.
The foundations of a career
Rahm arrived at Oakmont carrying a 69.15 junior‑year scoring average, four individual college titles and the first of his two Ben Hogan Awards. In February 2015, while still an amateur, he finished tied‑fifth at the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open with a 12‑under total. His professional world ranking before the U.S. Open stood at 766th.
He turned professional directly after the championship. Within a year he claimed a maiden PGA Tour win at Torrey Pines. The amateur record was not a prologue — it was the hard evidence that the trajectory was already set.
