Less than a decade after landing in America for the first time speaking no English, Jon Rahm was holding aloft the US Open trophy on Sunday.
The first words he'd learned had been courtesy of rap songs. Now he was blowing everyone away with his moving eloquence at the closing ceremony, as he paid tribute to a 58-year-old journalist who died suddenly of Covid in February, and who had held him to a higher standard. 'I can't tell you how much he'd have loved this moment,' Rahm said.
This was the personification of the American Dream.
Jon Rahm hit a four-under-par round of 67 at Torrey Pines to clinch his first-ever major
The Spaniard kept a lid on his infamous temper to keep his composure down the home straight
On the golf course neighbouring the breathtaking State Park where he had proposed to his wife Kelley, the 26-year-old Basque bellowed his delight after holing mighty putts on the final two greens to reel in Louis Oosthuizen.
Rahm raw at 17 had become Rahm roar. He held his infant son, Kepa, and whispered to him: 'This means nothing to you at the moment but it will one day soon.'
He then shared the story of how he had finally learned to overcome something far harder than fluency in English: Rahm Rage.
A month earlier, he had left us all in despair as he flung his arms around after a poor day at the US PGA, screaming at a journalist: 'Why on earth do you want to talk to me?'
What was excusable at 21 had long become tiresome.
Alongside the Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, this was the rare top golfer who had stayed for four years at university and earned a first-class degree. What happened to the maturation process into the bargain?
Why was he still so angry, still chucking clubs? This was a man so whip-smart that, when Kelley told him at university she was on the college javelin team, he replied instantly: 'I've been known to throw a few things as well.'
There was no self-deprecation when Rahm left Kiawah last month. More like self-loathing.
He held Kepa and made a silent vow that he would become a role model, and stop kidding himself that he was a better golfer for the fire within.
Two weeks later, Rahm was leading the Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, by six shots with a round to play.
Rahm suffered a blow earlier this month after testing positive for Covid-19 while playing well
After a memorable Saturday featuring a hole-in-one to close his second round, and then a brilliant 64 after lunch,
