"Superstar is rarefied air" Renowned analyst makes OUTRAGEOUS Jon Rahm claim

Brandel Chamblee has claimed Jon Rahm, the Spanish World No. 3, is currently "not a superstar" like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.

Ben Smith

30 Jan 2023

"Superstar is rarefied air" Renowned analyst makes OUTRAGEOUS Jon Rahm claim — "Superstar is rarefied air" Renowned analyst makes OUTRAGEOUS Jon Rahm…

Aside from going on a deep dive about Patrick Reed's latest rules incident, Brandel Chamblee also made an interesting claim about Jon Rahm.

That claim? Rahm is currently not a superstar. According to Chamblee, Rahm needs to improve his iron play as it's "not the stuff of legend".

Chamblee said that Rahm, who is ranked third in the world, would need to hit a "sustained level of dominance and dependability over a three-to-five-year period" to fall in to this bracket.

The 60-year-old former PGA Tour player said on the Golf Central Show:

"He's an amazing player, and he certainly has the ability and the talent to become a superstar, but superstar is rarefied air."

He continued:

"And I'm talking about racking up multiple major championships, winning by wide margins. Jon Rahm has never won a golf tournament on the PGA Tour by more than three shots.

"Winning the Vardon Trophy. Winning the biggest tournaments at the biggest moments and handling it with a degree of dependability. His iron play is not the stuff of legend. It's good, not great."

Rahm has now claimed nine PGA Tour victories, including his maiden major at the 2021 U.S. Open.

He had an opportunity to win three tournaments in a row last week but his challenge faded at the Farmers Insurance Open as Max Homa claimed his sixth win.

Rahm said he couldn't explain his uncharacteristic final round.

The Spaniard turned professional in 2016 and since capturing his maiden title in 2017 he has won in every single year since.

He ascended to the World No. 1 position in July 2020 but was toppled by Scottie Scheffler.

Rory McIlroy is currently ranked the best player in the world.

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Chamblee continued on the topic of Rahm:

"And for him to go and blow fields away, and to win multiple major championships, his level of iron play — he has only ever led Strokes Gained: Approach one time in his career on the PGA Tour.

"I can find all kinds of guys in the top three [in the world] who have ascended to the top three in professional golf that you wouldn't qualify as a superstar.

"It's a subjective metric, and it hits upon your subjectivity. At least for me, what constitutes a superstar in any sport is a sustained level of dominance and dependability over a three-to-five-year period."

Next page: What equipment does Jon Rahm use?