How Jon Rahm overcame double bogey on first hole to grab share of first-round lead at Masters

By | April 6, 2023
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Jon Rahm started his day in agony Thursday. He four-putted the opening hole of the Masters to immediately go 2 over.

He ended his round in delight. He was smiling as he strutted off the course at 18 after sinking yet another birdie — his seventh of the afternoon.

MORE: Updates, highlights from Round 1 of the Masters

One of the world’s best golfers has yet to win the coveted green jacket, but he certainly made a strong case for it during Round 1 of the 2023 tournament. He put together a historic round along with Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka — those three tied for the first-round lead at 7 under.

Rahm is a former world No. 1 and among the most well-rounded golfers on the globe. But things were teetering on untenable for the Spaniard after a pair of misplayed putts at the hole named Tea Olive.

How Jon Rahm recovered from opening double bogey at the Masters

It seemed Rahm was readying for a long day, if not weekend, at Augusta National. Then again, it couldn’t get much worse for Rahm. Nor would it.

Rahm would start his comeback on the very next hole, birdieing No. 2 to get to +1. He pulled even with another birdie on No. 3, setting the stage for a fruitful front nine.

There was his eagle on No. 8, a test of composure and patience.

He left a stroke on the green at 9, missing a long birdie putt following an errant drive. Still, he was 3 under at the turn.

MORE: Tracking scores for LIV Golf’s most notable players at the Masters

“It’s easy to make bogeys. It’s not easy to make birdies,” Rahm said after the round. “So if you can get through that, you have a short iron into 7, 8, 9 to maybe make some birdies and maybe get the round going.”

By the time Rahm hit the back nine, he was well in stride. His sumptuous touch was on display throughout — Rahm found the green on 94 percent of his attempts and saved all of his sand shots. He cruised to a 32, with four more birdies, coming in.

Four birdies in his last six holes took him to a share of the lead — and a bit of Masters history:

“If you’re going to make a double bogey,” Rahm said, “might as well do it on the first hole of the tournament when you have plenty of holes to make it up.”

MORE: Complete Round 1 results, highlights from Tiger Woods at Masters

Rahm’s showing puts him in rarefied air. He’s looking to become the first player to capture a major title after starting the competition with a double bogey since Lucas Glover in the 2009 U.S. Open. With his driving skill, delicate short game and improved calmness, Rahm seems a good bet to do it. 

“To be in this position where, you know, I’m already starting ahead in a sense, is very, very nice,” Rahm said. “But again, still three days to play, right? There’s a lot of golf to be played.”

Perhaps. But make no mistake about it: Rahm was on a heater during Round 1. Now comes the challenging part: posting a similar score in Friday’s Round 2.

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