The Masters: In a Sunday battle with Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm emerged victorious by a commanding four strokes, regaining the top spot in the world and winning The Masters.
Rahm was two strokes behind Koepka when the two players were eliminated in the final group of the fourth round on a lengthy Sunday at Augusta National, where players had to return early to finish their third rounds.
Rahm took over the lead after only six holes thanks to Koepka’s early mistakes. The 28-year-old never lost the initiative, shooting a three-under 69 to easily fend off the pursuing pack and secure his fourth victory of 2023.
After four-putting his opening hole of the competition, Rahm finished the week on 12 under to win his second major championship. The victory also allowed Rahm to overtake Scottie Scheffler at the top of the global rankings, who finished his title defence in tied-10th place.
How Rahm achieved even more notable accomplishment
Rahm went up and down from the back of the green to stay at nine under during an intriguing start to the final round that saw Koepka drag his opening shot onto another fairway before shooting a stunning approach over the woods, setting him a two-putt par.
At the par-five second, when both players had a chance to make a birdie, Rahm wasted a chance to narrow the deficit and moved into a tie for the lead with Koepka, who was unable to scramble a par from a greenside bunker.
In response to another missed opportunity for a birdie at the seventh, Rahm produced a lovely pitch to set up a tap-in at the next and move two ahead. Koepka bogeyed the sixth after a clumsy shot from the back of the green.
The two missed the ninth green and finished their front nines with bogeys. Phil Mickelson moved into a tie for second place with Koepka after finishing his round with five birdies in his final seven holes, setting the clubhouse goal at eight under.
After making a bogey at the 12th hole, Koepka recovered by getting up and down to take advantage of the following par-five, where Rahm also made a shot for the first of back-to-back birdies to create a four-shot lead.
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