The Masters 2023 LIVE: Leaderboard and reaction as Jon Rahm wins first green jacket
Rahm outduelled Brooks Koepka and honoured the late Seve Ballesteros to triumph in style at Augusta
Jon Rahm produced a nerveless Sunday performance to claim his first Masters green jacket in dominant but emotional style at Augusta National, in the perfect tribute to the late Seve Ballesteros.
Forty years after golfing icon Ballesteros claimed his second green jacket, and on what would have been his 66th birthday, Rahm became the fourth Spanish winner after Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.
“This one is for Seve,” Rahm said after winning his second major crown. “I knew he would be up there helping and help he did.”
The fourth and final round of a wild week at Augusta looked set to be a shootout between Rahm and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka.
But as the American faded in the fourth round, his Spanish foe relentlessly marched on, adding to his 2021 US Open crown by carding a 69 to end on 12-under. Rahm secured a four-shot triumph over Koepka and a rejuvenated Phil Mickelson, who shot a magical Sunday 65 at the age of 52 to end in a tie for second at eight-under.
Follow the reaction to the final round below:
Masters 2023
Koepka chips out of trouble and then fires a mid-iron on to the green, leaving himself a putt of perhaps eight feet for par - that was solid play after a troublesome teeshot. Bennett comes up short and spins back off the green for the second hole in a row. Rahm next, from 156 yards: he makes the same mistake as Bennett, pitching the ball a foot from the flag before spinning back off the putting surface! Perhaps the cold air is reducing the distances here and catching them out. A good result for Koepka, all told.
Cantlay rolls in a delicate putt on 16 for back-to-back birdies and he moves to seven under.
Masters 2023: Koepka in the trees after 10th tee shot
Rahm has the honour once more and finds the fairway with his drive, but Koepka makes his first notable mistake of the day: he doesn’t get the required right-to-left turn with his three wood and leaves himself in some trouble among the trees on the far side of the fairway.
Masters 2023: Rahm and Koepka make up-and-down pars
Rahm splashes out of the bunker and leaves himself another in the eight-foot range for par: for the third hole in a row he drains it! Phenomenal putting from Rahm so far today. Koepka chips on and putts from three feet for his par. Bennett does similarly, while Cantlay makes that birdie up on 15.
-13 Koepka
-11 Rahm
-6 Bennett (a), Cantlay
-5 Morikawa, Fitzpatrick
Masters 2023
Patrick Cantlay, on five under, has just hit a beautiful swinging hook into the 15th green, landing within a few feet from 220 yards. He should move to six under.
Rahm finds a greenside bunker from the rough on nine, Bennett comes up short, and Koepka is so unlucky - he lands his ball over the flag but it spins back down off one of the most treacherous greens at Augusta and he’ll need to chip back on.
Masters 2023
Rahm over-cuts his tee shot on nine and clips a tree but it falls fortuitously, landing on the long grass rather than the pinestraw. Koepka finds the middle of the fairway.
Masters 2023: Rahm rolls in another birdie putt to keep in touch
Sam Bennett, the amateur having the time of his life in this final group in his debut Masters, corrects his bogey on seven with a birdie at the eight after a well-judged 15-foot putt. Can Rahm follow? He can! Another wonderful putt and that’s back-to-back birdies by the Spaniard, who’s cooking this morning. Koepka rolls his in short putt to stay two ahead.
-13 Koepka
- 11 Rahm
-6 Bennett (a)
-5 Morikawa, Cantlay
Masters 2023
Rahm pitches to about eight feet, the ball checking on the turf and leaving him an uphill putt. Koepka’s response is beautiful, judging his little chip perfectly with a little sidespin to roll it close, and that will be a birdie.
Masters 2023
Rahm’s tee shot on the par-five eighth finds a patch of rough between two fairway bunkers, forcing him to bump one down the right hand-side of the fairway and leave himself a pitch into green. Koepka’s tee shot allows him to take a more direct route and he hits his second to the front edge, setting up a possible up and down for a birdie.
Masters 2023: Rahm cuts gap to two strokes
Koepka rolls a tenative par putt to about three feet, while Rahm drains an eight-footer for birdie! Koepka mops up for bogey, and that’s a two-shot swing within a couple of minutes of returning to the golf course on Easter Sunday at 8.30am in Georgia.
-12 Koepka
- 10 Rahm
-6 Bennett (a)
-5 Fitzpatrick, Morikawa, Hovland, Cantlay
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