The longer it went – and it was a long day at Augusta National Golf Club – the more Jon Rahm gained control of the 87th Masters Tournament. Just as fellow countryman Seve Ballesteros had 40 years ago.
Making it even more special for Rahm was that the round fell on both the late Ballesteros’ birthday and Easter Sunday.
When it was over, after spending more than seven hours on the Augusta National course, Rahm had completed 30 holes and rallied from two shots back after 54 holes to win by four shots. That’s the same margin of victory for Ballesteros in 1983.
Rahm, who played the final 12 holes on Sunday morning to complete a third-round 73, went back out and shot 3-under-par 69 in the final round to chase down playing partner Brooks Koepka. Rahm opened with rounds of 65-69.
“For me to win on his 40th anniversary of winning here and his birthday and Easter Sunday is incredibly meaningful,” Rahm said.
He joined Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia as Masters champs from Spain. Ballesteros and Olazabal won two green jackets each and Garcia one, but the 28-year-old Rahm might beat them all before he’s done.
Olazabal, who had missed the cut, stayed around to congratulate Rahm behind the 18th green. They exchanged a bear hug. Ballesteros died in 2011 at age 54.
“I can’t quite remember what we said,” Rahm said. “He said he hopes it’s the first of many more. We talked about Seve. If it had been 10 seconds more, I think we both would have been crying.”
With six Masters victories, Spain moved past South Africa and into second place for the most wins by a country. The United States has 59.
It was the second major championship for Rahm, who started the tournament with a four-putt on the opening hole, but ended it by slipping into a green jacket. Rahm also won the 2021 U.S. Open.
After that opening double bogey, Rahm played his final 71 holes in 14 under. For the tournament, he finished at 12-under 276 and took home a record $3.24 million first-place check.
About the only difficulty Rahm had Sunday came on the 72nd hole. He sliced his tee shot into the magnolias, but it bounced back toward the tee, into the fairway, going just 193 yards. It left him 236 yards to the hole. An iron shot left him 68 yards for his third shot. He knocked it to 4 feet and made the par putt to close out the win in style.
“It was an unusual par – a Seve par,” Rahm said. “I know he was pulling for me.”
Third-round leader and LIV Golf star Koepka struggled until coming to life near the end of his round (75 on Sunday after opening with 65-67-73). Phil Mickelson, who at age 52 was the face of LIV Golf when it started in 2022, came out of nowhere to shoot the day’s low round, a 65, and tie Koepka for second place.
Mickelson appeared to be out of contention when he completed his 75 in the third round, leaving him 10 shots off the lead. But he struck for eight birdies against one bogey, hitting 16 greens in regulation and missing just two fairways. He did need 30 putts – the last an 11-footer for birdie on the 18th hole. The 65 tied his low round in the Masters, fired in the first round of 1996.
Mickelson’s 65 was the lowest final round by a golfer 50 or older in Masters history.
Rahm took some of the swagger out of final-round playing partner Koepka, who had been the story through the first three days. Koepka shared the first-round lead with Rahm and Viktor Hovland, then Koepka led by two shots after both the second and third rounds.
For most of the final round, Koepka lost his touch with the putter that he served him so well. He needed 18 putts on the first nine, shooting 3-over-par 39. He came home in even-par 36.
“I kind of played average and didn’t get any good breaks, either,” Koepka said. “Some days you have it; some days you don’t.”
Rahm was among the favorites coming into the week. He was ranked third in the world and had finished in the top 10 in his first seven starts, including three victories. He has cooled off slightly in the past month, but his game was air-tight at Augusta National.
He hit 52 of 72 fairways, 48 of 56 greens, averaged nearly 300 yards off the tee and had putting rounds of 30, 25, 31 and 29. He ended up with 19 birdies, one eagle, seven bogeys and the double bogey on the first hole of the tournament.
“Congrats to Jon,” Koepka said. “He’s been playing great; it was super awesome to see. A green jacket is pretty special, so enjoy.”
Koepka, meanwhile, was something of a unknown quantity because he had not been seen much since July’s British Open. He plays on the upstart LIV Golf tour, which has only played three events this season. He won last week’s event in Orlando.
Mickelson’s play quieted some critics, including Fred Couples, who wondered why LIV Golf would give Mickelson a reported $200 million multi-year contract only to watch him struggle in most events.
“Today is hopefully a stepping stone to really kickstart the rest of the year and continue some great play because I have a unique opportunity,” Mickelson said. “At 52, no physical injuries, no physical problems, being able to swing a club the way I want to, to do things in the game that not many people have had a chance to do later in life.”
Mickelson, who became the oldest major champion when he won the PGA Championship in 2021 at age 51, had back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 on Sunday to get the wagon rolling.
“When he birdied there into 7, I think he started to get a little pep in his step. Then he kind of carried it on from there,” said Jordan Spieth, who was Mickelson’s playing partner and shot 66 to finish in a tie for fourth.
LIV golfer Harold Varner III played a number of practice rounds this week with Mickelson.
“Yes, he took a lot of money off me, and he was playing really well,” said Varner, who closed with 70 and tied for 29th place. “I told him on No. 9, 'You're hitting it pretty good for an old man.' So it doesn't surprise me. I think he's been around here a few times. I think that helps out a lot around here. So it doesn't really surprise me, but I would have loved to have been in that group. That would have been awesome.”
It was a good finish for LIV Golf, which came into the week trying to gain some respect from the golf establishment, which frowns on the tour’s 48-player, 54-hole, no-cut format. Patrick Reed, another LIV golfer, who like Mickelson is a former Masters champion, also tied for fourth after a closing 68.
With 12 holes to play early Sunday morning to complete the third round, Koepka led Rahm by four shots. That was quickly cut in half on the restart with Koepka missed an 11-foot par putt and Rahm made at 7-footer for birdie on No. 7. Koepka played the final 11 holes of the round in 1-over and shot 73 for the round. Rahm also had 73, so Koepka led by two, just as he had at the start of Round 3.
Koepka’s putting, so strong in the first three rounds when he had putting rounds of 28, 29 and 26, started to show some cracks as the fourth round began. He ended up needing 33 putts on Sunday.
Rahm pulled even when Koepka made bogey on No. 4, then went ahead by one when Koepka bogeyed another par-3, the sixth. Rahm went up by two shots with a birdie on No. 8. With back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, Rahm built a four-shot lead. Koepka then came to life, with birdies on Nos. 13, 15 and 16 to get to 9 under for the tournament and move into second place, ahead of Mickelson, who had already finished. But Koepka made bogey on No. 17 and parred No. 18 to end up tied with Mickelson.
Source link
