World #3 Spaniard Jon Rahm won his first green jacket at the 2023 US Masters at Augusta. Wild weather lashed the course during days 2 and 3, causing delays, restarts and nearly disaster when a few large pines were uprooted near the 16th tee. Australian Harrison Crowe’s family were following their son and were close by when the trees fell. Luckily no one was injured but it forced tournament organisers to cease play to protect patrons.
Eventually when calmer weather prevailed on the final day, players headed back to their balls to complete their third round and LIV’s Brooks Koepka held a four shot lead over Rahm.
After the third round Koepka’s lead was two shots and that’s when Jon Rahm made his move, playing steady and at times brilliant golf while Koepka imploded. Rahm carded a final round 69 to Koepka’s 75 to triumph by 4 shots.
Meanwhile, a few groups back, Jordan Spieth and 52 year old Phil Mickelson went blow for blow, carding the best rounds of the day. Spieth’s 66 was bettered by Mickelson’s 65 – Phil’s lowest final round score of a career highlighted by three green jackets. Mickelson finished T2 with Koepka, while Spieth leapt into T4 on -7 with countrymen Patrick Reed and Russell Henley.
FOX SPORTS has a good wrap of all the drama here
Australian Jason Day appeared to capture some of the form that got him to World #1, however he dropped out of the Top 10 in the final round in spectacular fashion, carding a horrible 80 to drop back to T39th, a placing he shared with fellow Australian Adam Scott.
The best placed Aussie was Cameron Smith. Never in the hunt for the title, Smith was -2 at the halfway point and finished with a pair of 75s to finish +4 (T34). Min Woo Lee and Amateur Harrison Crowe both missed the cut.