There are moments that change lives, that define sports careers. On Tuesday, June 11th at 22:44 peninsular time, 16:44 in North Carolina, Jon Rahm announced that he would not play the US Open 2024. A tough moment for the man from Barrika who had not missed a major event since 2016.
But when one door closes another opens. Jon’s sadness contrasted with the ecstasy of joy that occurred on hole 8 of Pinehurst No.2. There was a young man from Tampa named Jackson Suber who had been expectant for a few days knowing that, if any tournament player dropped out, he was next on the list.
Who would have told Jackson two weeks ago when on May 31st he missed his fourth consecutive cut on the Korn Ferry Tour. Unimaginable. Moreover, to add insult to injury, just three days later, on the 3rd of this month, he missed a two-meter putt to qualify for the US Open through the Maryland preliminaries. How tough golf can be and how spectacular. From accumulating four consecutive missed cuts on the PGA Tour’s satellite circuit to finishing the first 18 holes of a Major in the top 10 in just 14 days.
At 24 years old, Suber has the Korn Ferry Tour card where he has already played 33 tournaments. This year he has missed the cut seven times and also accumulates three top 15s. When he is sharp he fights for everything. This week he seems to have chosen the second path.
The Spaniard’s misfortune was the American’s fortune: “A friend came up to me and said, Rahm is not going to play, you’re in. At that moment I was overwhelmed with joy to be able to play, my phone started to burn and my family kept calling me. An unforgettable moment. I’ve had trouble sleeping the last two days.”
Well, not content with that, the 24-year-old player who has barely played two tournaments on the PGA Tour, missing the cut in both, has played wonderfully this Thursday, closing the first round of his life in a Major within the top 10. A scorecard of 69 strokes corroborates the great game he has displayed. It should not be forgotten that only 15 players have been able to beat the course on this first day: “In a way it is surreal, although the truth is that I have always thought that I have the level to play in these events. I didn’t know if I would ever achieve it, but I had a lot of confidence that this moment could come.”
The player trained at the University of Ole Mississippi also had words for Jon and heaped praise on his figure. A mirror to look at: “He is a winner, one of the best players in the world, in a way it is incredible to replace him because at his age I want to have the career that Rahm has and achieve everything he has done.”
The Californian was practically speechless to describe what he felt when he appeared on the tee of hole 1: “I came out of the tunnel and saw all those people waiting, seeing the whole street up to the green full of fans was spectacular. To debut in a Major and to do it in Pinehurst is something incredible.”
The fairy tale did not end there for Suber: “When the tee times came out, I looked to see who Rahm was paired with because I knew that if he finally played it was most likely that I would be replacing him, so I knew I would be playing with Jordan (Spieth) and Matsuyama. I have been able to talk to them several times, I have enjoyed it a lot.”
The curious thing is that this story was close to ending in a completely different way. Jackson was registered this same week in the Kansas tournament of the Korn Ferry Tour his usual circuit. With his caddie and his agent, they had set a deadline for Tuesday night to make a decision and go or not to Missouri. Who knows, if Jon had announced his withdrawal a few hours later maybe Jackson would not have been able to play the tournament. The last one to arrive and a top 10 to start.
