Jon Rahm overhauls Brooks Koepka to win Masters on dramatic final day | The Masters

Jokes about LIV golfers and their incapacity to hold tempo in 72-hole competitors could be applicable had Phil Mickelson not emerged as such a risk to Jon Rahm.

As Brooks Koepka collapsed in Rahm’s shadow, his fellow LIV insurgent Mickelson rolled again the years. But Rahm wouldn’t be denied. It felt like Spanish stars aligning as he sampled victory on what would have been the 66th birthday of Seve Ballesteros. Rahm’s second main title comes 40 years after Ballesteros collected Green Jacket quantity two.

It appeared extraordinary to recall Rahm’s Masters opened with a four-putt, double-bogey six. By shut of play he had raced to 12 beneath par. Victory was by 4 pictures. Olé, olé, olé.

Koepka is the alpha male whose recreation turned stale. A final spherical of 75 belied his confidence. From early in proceedings Koepka wilted to a degree that visibly impressed Rahm. A tie for second with Mickelson will present scant comfort.

Mickelson’s final spherical of 65 suggests tales of his {golfing} demise have been massively exaggerated. His beforehand glowing repute has undoubtedly been dulled by numerous LIV issues. Still, his majors report had additionally been fairly dismal from the purpose of sensational victory on the 2021 US PGA Championship till now. There could also be additional life within the 52-year-old “Lefty” but. As if to show Georgia golf crowds care little about dalliances with Saudi Arabians bearing {dollars}, Mickelson was roared from gap to gap over his closing stretch.

“This doesn’t feel like a fluke,” stated Mickelson, the spring in his step absolutely restored. “Hopefully it’s a stepping stone. I know I’ve been playing really well. I’ve been shooting low scores back home. I’ve been playing consistently well. When I’ve been competing, I have not been staying present. I haven’t been letting it happen, kind of forcing it.”

Koepka led by two initially of a delayed spherical 4. As he delivered assured pars within the first three holes, his tendency to characteristic in 54 gap competitors – the LIV staple – appeared irrelevant. Yet Rahm had halved his companion’s benefit with a birdie on the third and would tie Koepka after the latter sloppily discovered a bunker from the 4th tee. When Koepka sailed his iron shot over the sixth inexperienced and couldn’t rescue par, the unflappable Rahm edged one forward.

Rahm reached 11 beneath with a birdie on the eighth. Koepka sat at minus 9 after a dropped shot a gap later. By now, and with Mickelson within the clubhouse, Rahm simply had to keep upright. He comfortably made a par on the eleventh. The twelfth, which has ripped aside Masters desires, supplied no drama. Koepka dropped one other stroke there, leaving him three adrift. The Floridian bounced again with a advantageous birdie, transformed from 14ft, on the par-five thirteenth. Rahm was unmoved; he additionally made a 4, from a 3rd of that distance.

Rahm’s strategy shot to the 14th, from the appropriate tough, was his shot of the day. It rolled deliciously to inside 5ft of the cup. Koepka three-putted for a 5 as Rahm trickled in his birdie three. Rahm was 4 away from Mickelson and 5 in entrance of Koepka with 4 to play. He had no want to take on the teasing fifteenth in two.

Koepka’s muted celebration for a birdie on the sixteenth informed a narrative. Rahm had three pictures to play with by the seventeenth tee. He eased house, even with a wayward drive on the 18th gap.

For a spell Jordan Spieth appeared like the person more than likely to problem Rahm. Having began his fourth spherical at minus one, the 2015 champion collected 5 pictures by the fifteenth tee.

Two extra birdies adopted however Spieth tugged his tee shot left on the final when attempting to hit a low fade. From there, behind a tree to be particular, he may make no higher than a bogey 5. Spieth accurately centered on injury carried out in earlier rounds; a 70 and a 76 have been bookended by a 69 and a 66.

“When you’re that far back, you have to have everything go right,” Spieth stated. “It was close but I should have done a lot better in those first three rounds. I made a tremendous amount of mental mistakes. To be this close now, it’s nice, but it also almost frustrates me more. I made some mistakes I don’t normally make out here and it was more decision errors than anything else. I played way too much golf coming into this. I came in mentally fatigued and you overwork this week every year.” Patrick Reed and Russel Henley tied on seven beneath with Spieth.

Scottie Scheffler’s defence ended with a 70 and a four-under-par combination for a share of tenth. Matt Fitzpatrick, with a welcome return to kind after harm, was amongst these to match Scheffler’s rating.

The subsequent publication of golf’s world rankings will verify Rahm has been restored as world No 1. This, and a cheque for $3.24m, really feel like minor particulars. At 28, the person from Barrika is a a number of main champion. The Ballesteros tally of 5 needs to be firmly in his sights.