“In my mind, the one that’s ahead” - Jon Rahm reveals his prediction for the next Golf World No.1

Jon Rahm, who was one of the three golfers to hold the No. 1 position in the OWGR, feels Viktor Hovland is going to be the next world No. 1 in the OWGR.

Rahm was a guest on Golf's Subpar podcast recently, which are hosted by Drew Stoltz and Colt Knost. The hosts asked him to pick the player he saw as reaching the top position in the OWGR. After taking a few seconds to think, Rahm replied that he felt it would be none other than Viktor Hovland.

"Viktor should be, in my mind, the one that’s ahead," he said. "There’s a lot of players with potential to do it, but based on his progression the last few years I think he’d be the clear one."

Rahm's prediction about Hovland shouldn't surprise golf fans, considering the season the latter had. The 25-year-old Norwegian claimed the Memorial Tournament and then went on to win the BMW Championship and Tour Championship to become the FedEx Cup champion this season. He also played an important role in Europe's Ryder Cup win by scoring 3.5 points for the hosts. He ended the tournament with an overall score of 3-1-1.

Hovland also had a good outing at the major championships. He made two top-ten finishes, and his worst result was a solo 19 at the US Open. Currently, he is ranked fourth in the OWGR. He is behind Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Rahm. All three of them have held the top position this year.

---

How many titles did Jon Rahm win in 2023?

For Jon Rahm, the 2022–23 season was arguably the best season of his professional golf career. He claimed four titles on the PGA Tour, ascended back to World No. 1, and then played a significant role in Europe's Ryder Cup win over the US.

He began the year with a win at the Sentry Tournament of the Champions, the first designated event on the PGA Tour. He rallied from behind to beat Collin Morikawa by a two-stroke margin and bag $2.7 million. Then he went on to win the American Express.

Jon Rahm finished solo third at the Wate Management Phoenix Open and T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open. Then he triumphed at the Genesis Invitational Open, his third win of the season. His biggest win came in April, when he beat Brooks Koepka by four strokes to win the Masters Tournament, his second major championship title.

Jon Rahm hasn't won any other title since April but finished runner-up at the Mexico Open as well as the Open Championship. His earnings this year were nearly $21 million.

By the end of the year, he shocked everyone after announcing his switch to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Reports suggested that the deal was signed for around $550 million, making him the highest-paid athlete in the world.

Currently, Jon Rahm is ranked 3rd in the OWGR and won't improve from here anytime soon after switching to LIV Golf. However, he is exempt from all four majors, so he will have a good chance to gain some OWGR points from them. He will have a separate team at LIV Golf, which will be announced before the inaugural event of the year.