AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jon Rahm grew to become the longest day into his sweetest victory, beginning Sunday with a four-shot deficit in the morning sit back and completing in fading daylight as the fourth Spaniard to grow to be a Masters champion.
Rahm closed with a 3-under 69 to pull clear of mistake-prone Brooks Koepka. He received through 4 photographs over Koepka and 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who grew to become in a tournament-best 65. He is the oldest runner-up in Masters historical past.
It was once Mickelson who declared Rahm could be amongst golfing’s largest stars even prior to the Spaniard grew to become professional in 2016. Rahm now has a inexperienced jacket to move along side his U.S. Open name he received in 2021 at Torrey Pines.
Rahm made up two photographs on Koepka over the ultimate 12 holes of the rain-delayed 3rd spherical and began the ultimate spherical two photographs at the back of. He seized on Koepka’s cave in after which surged to this point forward that Mickelson’s superb remaining spherical — the superb ultimate spherical ever at Augusta National for the three-time Masters champion — was once by no means going to be sufficient.
Nothing was once extra pleasant than an uphill climb to the 18th inexperienced to declare the inexperienced jacket on an afternoon when Spanish stars aligned. Sunday is the birthdate of his idol, the past due Seve Ballesteros, and that is the 40-year anniversary of Ballesteros successful his 2d Masters name.
Rahm embraced his spouse and two youngsters, and as he walked towards the scoring room, there was once two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal in his inexperienced jacket for the most powerful hug of all.
Rahm received for the fourth time this 12 months — simply as Scottie Scheffler did a 12 months in the past when he received the Masters — and reclaimed the No. 1 global rating from Scheffler.
This Masters had slightly little bit of the whole lot — scorching and humid at the get started, a chilly entrance with wind that toppled 3 timber on Friday, hanging surfaces saturated from rain on Saturday and a marathon end Sunday as Rahm and Koepka went 30 holes.
Koepka helped to pave the method with one miscue after some other, shedding the lead for the first time since Thursday afternoon when he chipped 20 ft previous the hollow from at the back of the par-3 6th and made his 2d bogey. There could be extra to come.
Worse but, Koepka went 22 consecutive holes Sunday with out a birdie — from the par-5 8th hollow in the morning of the 3rd spherical till the par-5 thirteenth in ultimate spherical. By then, he was once 3 photographs at the back of and Rahm all however sealed it along with his subsequent shot.
He hit a low minimize round a tree from proper of the 14th fairway and it stuck a slope excellent on the 14th inexperienced and fed down to 3 ft for a birdie. When Koepka three-putted for bogey, it was once an issue of completing.
Rahm hooked his tee shot into the timber on the ultimate hollow and did not achieve the fairway. No topic. He performed up the fairway, hit wedge to 3 ft and tapped in for the victory.
The leaderboard was once suffering from primary champions and a tinge of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Mickelson and Koepka each are a part of the rival circuit. Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, some other participant who defected to LIV, closed with a 68 and tied for fourth with Jordan Spieth (66) and Russell Henley.
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