Everyone desires to guide the Masters. But does everybody need to lead it Saturday evening? Magnolia Lane has all the time been coated by way of, neatly, magnolias. But there’s blood there, too — Ken Venturi’s from 1956, Greg Norman’s from 1996, Rory McIlroy’s from 2011.
And now Koepka’s as a result of he rose Sunday morning with a four-shot lead at this rain-addled Masters and a few 30 holes later departed within the low gentle with a four-shot loss to Jon Rahm, the nice Spaniard who completed at 12-under-par 276.
Rahm is the sort of worthy champion, and he earned this victory by way of last with a 69, dealing with himself in some way Koepka may just now not. They would provide as opposites — Rahm famously fiery, Koepka stoic to the purpose of apathy. But when Koepka had the lead, he wobbled. When Rahm seized it, he surged.
“What is going on on the outside is not always a reflection of what’s going on on the inside,” Rahm mentioned. “I was calm. I never really got frustrated.”
“There’s tension out there,” Rahm mentioned.
It’s simple. Could there be a immediately line drawn between the stresses and lines of main the general around of the Masters and Koepka’s lack of ability to deal with his degree of play from the primary 3 days? All we’ve got are the consequences.
“Obviously, it’s super disappointing, right?” Koepka mentioned. “Didn’t play good enough to win.”
Much might be manufactured from Koepka’s departure for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf collection and Rahm’s allegiance to the PGA Tour, and the group without a doubt sponsored the 28-year-old from Spain in some way it didn’t — in all probability couldn’t? — fortify the 32-year-old Floridian. But what took place right here had not anything to do with golfing allegiances and the whole lot to do with a golfing truism: It can be tricky, if now not debilitating, to play with a lead, particularly within the crucible of primary championships — the one occasions Koepka says in reality topic to him.
Self-confidence and self-doubt would appear to be opposites, however they so continuously sleep in adjoining rooms. That’s how Koepka can play the primary 42 holes of this event — as many as he may just entire earlier than Sunday on account of the dodgy climate Friday and Saturday — with only one bogey. He used to be the most productive model of his struttin’-and-puttin’ self, absolutely the cock of the stroll.
But he started play within the suspended 3rd around Sunday morning by way of lacking a par putt, which turned into the primary of 9 bogeys he remodeled his last 30 holes.
He’s the exact same participant with the exact same abilities in the exact same frame. And but reasonably actually in a single day, he used to be reworked. By the time he and Rahm finished the 6th hollow of the general around, Koepka had wrapped up the lead in a field, tied it with a bow and passed it over to the Spaniard, by no means to regain it.
“Didn’t feel like I did too much wrong,” Koepka mentioned, “but that’s how golf goes sometimes.”
That’s the way it went Sunday, in a large second that integrated such a lot golfing. When he finished the again 9 of the 3rd around within the morning with two bogeys and no birdies, it used to be identified to Koepka that his lead, headed into the general 18, were halved.
“Halved?” Koepka protested. “What do you mean, ‘halved’? I started yesterday at two. I’m just spitting facts to you.”
Nervous? Who’s fearful? Let’s spit some information again.
Koepka aroused from sleep Sunday with that four-shot lead over Rahm. By the time he finished the general eleven-plus holes of his 3rd around, he had fallen from 13 to 11 below, whilst Rahm remained at 9 below. Yeah, Koepka had a two-shot lead after the finishing touch of the second one around Saturday and maintained it going to the general 18. But this weather-wacky event has been outlined by way of days, now not rounds. Just spittin’ information.
See the semantics Koepka discovered vital to check out to deal with the fitting head area with the lead?
“I’m fine with two,” Koepka mentioned.
He decidedly used to be now not. His departure for LIV raised questions on whether or not he may just compete within the tournaments he values above all others, the majors. Those appear responded.
“I think I proved it this week, no?” Koepka mentioned. “I’ve known this for a while. Led for three rounds. Just didn’t do it for the last day.”
This is difficult. In those eventualities, wherein leads are frittered away, assume to championships gained by way of competition who held the merit for mere moments, now not moons. Danny Willett trailed Jordan Spieth by way of 5 pictures with 9 to play at this event in 2016. Spieth put two within the water at 12. When Willett took the lead with a birdie at 14, he wanted most effective to carry the lead for 4 holes — now not 4 days.
“When you’re that far back,” Spieth mentioned Sunday, when he started the general around 10 in the back of Koepka, “you have to have everything go right.”
But as a result of that’s the case, why now not swing unfastened and simple? Spieth did it Sunday, surging with a final-round 66 that would possibly had been a shot or two higher had he now not flailed at his last tee shot, resulting in a last bogey. His enjoying spouse used to be Phil Mickelson, the three-time Masters champ who has been in terrible shape since he joined LIV Golf.
“When I’ve been competing, I have not been staying present,” Mickelson mentioned. “I haven’t been letting it happen, kind of forcing it. I just haven’t been scoring the way I know I can.”
When he used to be 10 again to start out the general around at his favourite position on this planet to compete, neatly, lo and behold, he scored the way in which he knew he may just, firing a last 65 that were given him to eight below for the event — and made him the clubhouse chief at some degree when Rahm used to be simply two pictures forward, with a lot golfing to play.
Rahm used to be as much as the duty, enjoying bogey-free golfing over the general 9.
No topic what you bring to mind LIV and the individuals who finance it (pssssst, it’s a carnival and so they’re monsters), golfing’s truth is that issues within the Official World Golf Ranking aren’t granted in its occasions, and ratings give you the maximum dependable method into primary championships. Koepka is in for the Masters subsequent yr as a result of he completed within the best 12 on Sunday, incomes a call for participation.
But had he gained, he would go back right here indefinitely. That’s an added layer to this: A person who desires not anything however to win extra majors has no assured trail to realize access into the ones occasions. Sunday would have equipped one.
Instead, it served up the other. It used to be the day Koepka turned into the most recent persona to have his spirit rattled at Augusta National. He would possibly get every other likelihood, possibly even a number of, to face at the first tee on Sunday with a lead within the Masters. If and when he does, he’ll know precisely how paralyzing that can be.
