Jon Rahm‘s Green Jacket
Jon Rahm was a worthy winner of the Masters.
The weather played a big part – at one point trees were felled by a storm.
Rahm’s game held and he easily overhauled Brooks Koepka in the final round.
It was an intriguing contest, not least as Rahm has not signed up for LIV, for whom Koepka is a marquee capture. Heavy rain can have a positive effect as it made the glassy greens of Augusta softer, so the pitch – a crucial shot – could plug.
Tom Watson was the best in the rain and cold which might explain his 5 Open victories.
American golfers prefer the sun and wearing a heavily-sponsored polo shirt to waterproofs. Rahm deserved his second Major and his number one ranking as he is a big hitter with a velvet touch.
His problem has been his combustible temper but he seems to have reined that in. He is the fourth Spaniard to wear the Greenjacket and appropriately his adornment came on the birthday of the best of the lot – Seve Ballesteros.
With Rahm and Victor Novland finishing well up the Leaderboard the augurs are good for the Europeans in the Ryder Cup this September in Rome.
Add to them Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick – then the team looks solid which it will need to be against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Xavier Schauffele, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morakawa.
European stalwarts like Ian Poulter, Henrik Stensen and Sergio Garcia may not make it – nor for the Americans Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar.
I appreciate that some of these golfers are contracted to LIV and at the moment not eligible for the Ryder Cup.
I suspect that captains Zachary Johnson and Luke Donald may have something to say about that as both will want to put out their best possible team.
