RAHM TOUGH

When JON RAHM turned pro, he was surrounded by hype-and he has not disappointed. The Spaniard has not only mastered Augusta but has also learned how to master himself

The list of players with all-star credentials as amateurs who fail to achieve professional success is endless. Jon Rahm spent 60 weeks as the world's No. 1-ranked amateur. He starred at Arizona State. He appeared destined for riches.

But there are no guarantees. And that's why Colt Knost, now a broadcaster for CBS but once a player on the PGA Tour who had, himself, won a U.S. Amateur, all but shot up in his chair when he heard what Phil Mickelson had said about Rahm as the Spanish golfer was about to turn pro.

"One year from today he'll be a top-10 player in the world," Mickelson had declared.

The year was 2016, and Rahm-who captured his second major title when he won the Masters in April-had just played in the NCAA championships, where he finished third.

Not two weeks later, Knost was in the locker room during a rain delay at the Tour stop in Memphis and joined in a time-killing conversation with Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

"I said, "That's kind of a bold statement, Phil," " Knost says. "I know you're crazy, but this one seems a little nuts."

A bet was made. "Let's have some fun with this," Knost said, offering Mickelson 2-to-1 odds. The wager was five figures, Knost says, not disclosing the exact amount. "It was a terrible bet for him."

Knost figured he had a few things going for him. Rahm was ranked 766th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He had no PGA Tour status. There was no guarantee he would even be on the PGA Tour in 2017, needing to make it through a qualifying tournament just to be assured a place on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour.

"And then he went on a tear," Knost says.