Winner's Bag
The clubs Jon Rahm used to win the 2023 The American Express
Katelyn Mulcahy
In a tournament where birdies are not only good currency, but essential, Jon Rahm made a key one at the par-5 16th while Davis Thompson did not, creating what ended up being the winning margin as Rahm took The American Express, winning in back-to-back PGA Tour starts for the first time in his career.
After Thompson found the cavernous bunker that guards the left fairway at PGA West's Stadium Course, Rahm unleashed a 332-yard bomb, employing his preferred fade off the tee to find the fairway. Rahm then used a utility iron from 278 yards for his second shot and nearly found the bunker himself, but stayed up just shy of the green. That set-up a sporty up-and-down for birdie, the putt doing a little victory lap before dropping.
Rahm’s driver is the same Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond model he used for the first time in competition two weeks ago en route to victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. The 10.5-degree driver has Rahm’s favored Aldila Tour Green 75 TX shaft and marks the third consecutive PGA Tour win for Paradym drivers.
The Triple Diamond model is aimed at elite players who find the center of the face often and are seeking to reduce spin. The driver uses a fully carbon composite midsection that is 44-percent lighter than if it were made of titanium. That weight savings is used to create a more efficient system for transferring energy to the ball, creating more rebound at impact.
“The impact through the ball, even when I mis-hit it, is such a good feeling,” Rahm said earlier in the week of his driver. “I don’t know what the hell they have done, but it feels amazing.”
For the week Rahm ranked 14th in strokes gained/off-the-tee for the two rounds tracked at the Pete Dye Stadium Course while averaging 315.9 yards for the week off the tee.
The approach shot on the par-5 16th was with a Callaway Apex UT utility iron from 278 yards. Rahm put the Apex UT in for this week, taking out his 5-wood. A timely move that helped lead to an even more timely birdie.
What Jon Rahm had in the bag at the 2023 The American Express
Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (Aldila Tour Green 75 TX), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond, 16 degrees
Irons (2): Callaway Apex UT; (4-PW): Callaway Apex TCB
Wedges: Callaway Jaws raw (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S