WHEN Mickelson decides to give up the day job to look after a young golfer, you just know the kid is going to be something special.

OK, so it was Tim Mickelson who chucked in his job and not big brother Phil.

3 Jon Rahm has already drawn comparisons to the legendary Seve Ballesteros Credit: Usa Today Sports

But he clearly knew what he was doing when he quit as Arizona State’s golf coach to manage Jon Rahm.

And after the Spanish sensation took world No 1 Dustin Johnson all the way at the WGC-Mexico Championship, Mickelson’s decision looks even more inspired.

Rahm, 22, is already generating comparisons with his boyhood hero, Seve Ballesteros.

Everyone knows Phil Mickelson loves a bet but Tim’s career change could hardly be called a gamble.

He coached Rahm - who is dating golf wag Kelley Cahill - for four years at Arizona State, where he won 11 college titles, two Ben Hogan awards as the best college player in the US and topped the amateur world rankings for 60 weeks.

3 Seve Ballesteros' remarkable career has gone down in history Credit: AP

Rahm almost made a winning debut when he finished third in the Quicken Loans National the week after he turned pro last June.

He did not have to wait long for that first win, landing the Farmers Open Insurance title in true Seve style in January.

An outrageous hybrid from a bunker to the heart of the green on the par-five 13th set up an incredible eagle.

And his 60ft eagle putt on the final green to win it sparked a fist-pumping celebration evoking more memories of Ballesteros.

3 Jon Rahm says the Spanish mindset is to be aggressive Credit: Getty Images

Rahm admitted his idol had inspired his fearless approach.

He said: “It’s a Spanish mindset. We are pretty aggressive. That’s probably thanks to Seve, right?”

Rahm was on the charge again in the final round in Mexico on Sunday, nudging ahead of Johnson with another eagle at the 11th, and birdies at 14 and 15.

But he dropped into a share of third, two adrift of Johnson, with England’s Ross Fisher.

Another Englishman, Tommy Fleetwood, claimed second place with a 40-foot birdie putt at the last.

But the name on everyone’s lips was that of the exciting Spaniard.

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Rahm said: “This is the first time I played this kind of event and to actually be right in there challenging, it’s really nothing but positive.

“I didn’t play great every day but I still had a chance of winning.”

When he moved from the Basque town of Barrika to Arizona five years ago, Rahm admitted: “The language barrier was hard. But memorising rap songs in English helped me a lot — like Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools and Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie.”

Despite playing all his competitive golf in America, Rahm joined the European Tour on the eve of the Mexico event to become eligible for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France.

And he will be there.