"Yes, he's probably Thanos" - Max Homa has the ultimate pop culture praise for Jon Rahm's brilliance
Jon Rahm was seen embracing Max Homa on the 18th green after putting in to win the Genesis Invitational 2023. He shot two birdies on both par-threes on the back nine to surpass Max Homa, which led to his victory. The Spaniard now holds the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Rahm won the Tournament of Champions and The American Express in La Quinta, California, earlier this year. This makes his win on Sunday his third PGA Tour title of the year. The revered golf course, Riviera Country Club, happens to have been fostered by players such as Ben Hogan, but as Rahm noted, has seen no victory thus far from Jack Niklaus and Tiger Woods.
Homa expressed his awe at Rahm's performance in the press conference that followed the game.
Max Homa compared Genesis Invitational champion to Marvel's supervillain Thanos
When reporters asked Max Homa if Rahm's winning was inevitable, Homa replied jokingly by saying:
“Yes, he’s probably Thanos.”
He praised Jon further by saying:
“He’s a tremendous golfer, he has zero weaknesses. He’s been this dude for a long time. I think he’s got the highest win percentage in the last X amount of years, he’s got the highest top-10s by a mile. The guy’s incredible. I think Rory, Jon and Scottie are kind of in a league of their own at times and it’s our job to go catch them.”
Tiger Woods was the host of this week's event. The Genesis Invitational was his first tournament in 2023 and his first since last July, where he made the cut in the Open Championship. Rahm expressed his delight at winning in Woods' presence.
“To do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history and hosted by the man himself, Tiger Woods, it’s a true honour. I can’t really explain it,” Rahm said.
Rahm's recent victory is the 10th title of his career on the PGA Tour. This breaks the record of the champion's hero and fellow countryman, Seve Ballesteros.
“I know he [Seve Ballesteros] didn’t play full-time PGA Tour and I know five of those were majors, but still to reach that milestone of double-digit wins is pretty incredible,” said Rahm.
The win at the Genesis Invitational has enabled him to surpass Scottie Scheffler to hold the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Rankings a mere week after Scheffler bested Rory McIlroy for the spot with his win at the Phoenix Open.