By Frank Dalleres
From four-putting on the first green to ending the day with a 65, Jon Rahm began Masters week in astonishing style and never let up on his way to a commanding win.
I have never seen him drive the ball better, his iron play was sublime and his putting was, the first hole excepted, excellent. The Spaniard looked totally in control.
Sunday turned into a two-horse race between him and Koepka, and Rahm benefited from a vital two-shot swing when they resumed their weather-delayed third round on Sunday.
That gave him unbelievable momentum and he didn’t look back, plotting his way to a four-shot victory and a second major title with a caution that can be harder to execute for aggressive players like him.
The wind and rain that arrived on Friday almost made the Masters like an Open Championship, with drastically different conditions for those who went out in the morning and afternoon.
Rahm was on the wrong side of that draw, which made his second round of 69 even more impressive, but Koepka got the rub of the green with an early tee time and took advantage by shooting a 67.
Spurred on by his hero Seve Ballesteros and other Spanish former Masters winners, however, the man from the Basque Country was just too strong in the end.
That it was the 40th anniversary of Seve’s second Green Jacket and would have been his 66th birthday was a lovely touch and clearly meant a lot to Rahm.
A few other players gave themselves a chance of threatening the top two, not least Phil Mickelson, who put in a fantastic performance at the age of 52 to share second with Koepka.
Jordan Spieth made 10 bogeys and two double-bogeys across the four days yet still finished one shot behind Koepka and Mickelson in a tie for fourth.
Had the 2015 champion cut out a few of those errors, he might have put himself in position to properly challenge for a second Green Jacket.
It was a shame that Tiger Woods had to retire, having done incredibly well to make the cut despite having to battle the worst of the weather.
Tiger’s history of injuries means that he gets to the clubhouse early in the morning to undergo several hours of physiotherapy just to go out and play. Understandably, he was shattered.
Defending Masters champion Scottie Scheffler played really well but missed more putts than I’ve ever seen him miss and had to settle for a share of 10th place.
Amateur Sam Bennett marked himself out as a real star of the future by shooting two rounds of 68 when playing alongside Scheffler on Thursday and Friday.
He was so disappointed with a closing 74 that left him in a share of 16th. That was great to see because it showed how much it meant to him.
But it was to be Rahm’s week in the end. Three ahead with two holes to play, he left his first putt at the 17th seven or eight feet short. If Koepka birdies, suddenly there is a possibility of drama.
He was always in total control, though, and his driving was the key. He put himself in the mayor’s office on just about every hole, hardly missing any fairways at all.
The win took Rahm back to world No1, which is well deserved based on his performances over the last two years. Hopefully this time it will take a long while to dislodge him.
Having won the US Open in 2021, he is now halfway to the career grand slam and I think he will do it. The Open Championship suits him down to the ground, which just leaves the US PGA.
On this form, you wouldn’t even bet against Rahm doing it this year.
Sam Torrance OBE is a former Ryder Cup-winning captain and one of Europe’s most successful golfers. Follow him @torrancesam
The post Sam Torrance: Masters win takes Jon Rahm closer to a likely career grand slam appeared first on CityAM.
