In one of the most eagerly awaited major championships in years, Jon Rahm claimed his first green jacket by winning the 2023 Masters by four shots over Brooks Koepka and three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson. The victory gave Rahm his second major title (he won the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines) and a lifetime exemption into the event, along with a $3.24 million paycheck.
But Rahm’s amazing season included more than winning a green jacket. The Spaniard won the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions, American Express and the Genesis Invitational. he was also a runner-up at the British Open and the Mexico Open at Vidanta, and at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, Italy, Rahm was a monster. He won three points in four matches while seemingly making one clutch shot after another.
From an equipment standpoint, Rahm made some changes to his equipment setup before 2023, but his bag still contains several clubs that helped him win more than $5 million in prize money last season.
Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam dish on admiration for Tiger Woods’ attempts to recover from surgery, return to competition.
Can all the king’s horses and all the king’s men put golf’s Humpty Dumpty back together again?
Tiger Woods is sidelined for an indefinite amount of time after undergoing surgery on his right ankle to address post-traumatic arthritis caused by injuries suffered in his single-car crash in Los Angeles in February 2021. Woods withdrew during the rain-delayed third round of this year’s Masters in April after showing considerable discomfort walking the hills of Augusta National in bad weather.
Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 majors is looking more safe with every passing day and every injury Woods sustains, prefaced his comments about Woods during a press conference ahead of his appearance in the Greats of Golf exhibition Saturday during the Insperity Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.
“I don’t know a whole lot about what he’s been through,” Nicklaus began.
“He’s showed a lot of guts and courage to play and try to be part of what’s going on with the way he’s been,” he continued. “He’s actually swinging pretty well; he just can’t walk.”
Nicklaus recounted how he sat next to Woods at the Champions Dinner at the Masters, as he does most years.
“We talk quite a bit,” Nicklaus said. “He said, ‘I’m really playing well. I’m hitting the ball great. My short game’s great. My putting’s good.’ He said, ‘I just can’t walk.’ And he says, ‘If it helps where I can walk, I’m willing to do it.’ ”
That’s about as good an explanation for why Woods agreed to go under the knife yet again as we’ve heard to date.
“He wouldn’t be having the operations if he wasn’t interested in wanting to continue to play,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a very motivated and dedicated young man to continue to play the game of golf.”
Nicklaus added of the 47-year-old golfer, whose body has been through the ringer: “The dedicated young doesn’t last very long.”
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Annika Sorenstam, winner of 72 LPGA titles, walked away from the game on her own terms and has returned to play a handful of celebrity events, last year’s U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, which she won in 2021. She has a keen eye for Woods’ plight.
“I can just see it from a fan’s standpoint,” Sorenstam said. “I think he’s in more pain than he lets everybody know. I think it’s a lot more serious. But he is so tough. And so courageous.”
How long Woods will be sidelined this time is anyone’s guess, but his participation in this year’s remaining three majors – the PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June and British Open in July – seems unlikely.
“I think we’d all like to see him play,” Sorenstam said. “He adds so much to the game every time he tees up. Whether he makes the cut or not, he adds to the tournament in so many ways.
“But you don’t want to see anybody in pain. You don’t want to see anybody, they’re hurting. Especially in his case. So hopefully this surgery will be the last of it. And will be good for him. Who knows.”
At this stage, not even Woods knows whether Humpty Dumpty can be put back together again.
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Two retired professionals volunteered to help at Augusta National, assuming Masters week would be a dream. It wasn’t.
(Editor’s note: This was a guest submission from Joseph F. Patterson, who has created and managed proactive communications and community relations programs for major nationally televised sporting events – the Heritage Golf Classic, the LPGA Championship, the World Invitational Tennis Classic and the Family Circle Tennis Cup. He began his career as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.)
(Correction: The writer of this submission was originally referred to as a volunteer, but was compensated for his work at Augusta National.)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — So, you think you want to work at the Masters?
Yep, that is what my wife and I thought back in March when we saw an ad for a Masters jobs fair in Augusta. We are retired from professional careers and live in Aiken, South Carolina, about an hour away from the tournament site.
Out of curiosity, my wife stopped by the fair to inquire. I did not go. I sent a bio brief summarizing my experiences as public relations director for the Heritage Golf Classic, World Invitational Tennis Classic and the Family Circle Cup – all nationally televised from Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. My wife retired from a professional career as the executive director of an international nonprofit.
The gentleman with whom she met said we would be a natural fit. Time went by, and the Masters employment process began with online tests, background checks and training sessions. You would have thought we were being screened for top-level security government jobs.
I thought I would be getting a job in the press room and my wife thought she would be helping in tournament operations. Those are our backgrounds.
We were assigned to concessions. Somewhat of a bait and switch. Not knowing what concessions work was all about, we thought it would be an OK way to see the Masters from the inside. We had been to the Masters many times as spectators. As a matter of fact, my wife’s family has been involved with the tournament since 1934 when it all began. Her dad and uncle, as youngsters, passed out free tournament tickets in downtown Augusta in those early days, just to get people to attend. Her uncle eventually became a Masters scorer.
Today, thousands flock to the Augusta National Golf Club on Washington Road to see what has evolved into one of the world’s great sports spectacles.
We reported for our jobs at Concessions Stand 1 where we learned that we would be working to keep the three food service bays stocked with sandwiches, snacks, and beverages (soft drinks, beer and wine). Initially, there were about 100 of us workers in Stand 1 but that number dwindled by about a third as the week and tournament went along.
Each day began for us around 2 a.m., because we allowed driving time to get to the Masters employee parking lot at Augusta University where shuttles took us to the course and then Concessions Stand 1, a cave-like space located beneath the golf pro/gift shop. We had to be there by 4:30 or 5 a.m. It was a full 10-to-14-hour day of running breakfast and barbeque sandwiches from the kitchen to the food service bays. Those bays had to be stocked each morning before 7 a.m., with ice, cups, Masters logoed snacks (popcorn, moon pies, cheese straws, potato chips, peanuts, cookies, etc.).
Snacks with prices in a concession area during a practice round for The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Network
Officially, Stand 1 was not to close until half an hour after the final golfer finished the round for the day. Usually, that meant shutting things down around 5:30 p.m. Everything that had not been sold had to be inventoried, taken back to storage, counters cleaned, trash dumped. We usually left around 6 p.m., maybe 7 p.m. on some nights. On another stand, we heard workers were not allowed to leave until 1 a.m. on the last day of the tournament.
No sitting. All day you are standing and walking on concrete floors. There was a small breakroom in Stand 1. You were given two 15-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch break.
The conditions were brutal, equal to the management style of some of the full-time Augusta National management.
One example: On the first day of the tournament, we were instructed to park in the Masters employee parking lot at Augusta University where a Masters employee with a flashlight showed us exactly where to park. So, we did. The attendant then directed someone later to park behind us. In daylight the next day, we noticed that the car that had been directed to park behind us by the Masters parking attendant had hit my car causing probably $1,000 to $2,000 worth of damage. No note was left. When I brought this situation to Augusta National Golf Club managers, I was told it was my problem, not the Augusta National’s.
As I moved the matter on up the chain of command, I was told by a senior human resources official that if I shared this incident with any manager more senior than him, I would be fired. Really? We were not helping at the Masters as some sort of strategic career move. We had had successful careers elsewhere. We did not even realize ours were paid positions until after we agreed to the assignments. This matter remains unresolved.
We have met some terrific fellow workers from different parts of the country and walks of life. My wife and I are amazed that Masters employees drive or fly from all parts of the country/world to endure the conditions just outlined. The Masters does give employees uniforms and does provide $12.50 a day for meals.
A friendly reminder of one of the rules at the Masters Tournament. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)
Not much golf to be seen. Because of the working hours and short breaks, don’t come to the Masters as a Concessions Stand 1 employee expecting to see much golf. You do get chances to shop in the pro/gift shop since it is next store to Concessions Stand 1. You have to wait for the lines of shoppers to dwindle before taking a chance at shopping longer than what your 15-minute or 30-minute break allows.
Chaos seems to be the undercurrent. Take transportation. One hundred or more Mercedes shuttle buses take thousands of employees to and from designated places at the tournament site to their cars at the Masters employee parking lot at Augusta University. This usually works well in the mornings, but in the afternoons the pickup points never seem to be in the same place. That is particularly inconvenient in the rain, which we had a lot of this past week.
What does seem orderly is the electronic check-in and check-out process where each employee has a computer-recognizable card that is swiped through a card reader in the mornings upon arrival and in the evenings upon departure. This process records for each employee in a computer somewhere the hours worked. Brilliant. This card with your picture on it hangs around your neck so you can be easily identified. Additionally, this card can be used for the $12.50 meal allowance that you get each day – if you want to buy one of those egg salad or pimento cheese or barbeque sandwiches that we kept stocked.
Working at the Masters was a very revealing experience – one that we will only do once.
“If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play good or bad, just want to be there.”
Shortly after winning the Masters on Sunday and concluding his press conference, Jon Rahm was whisked away to Butler Cabin where his family was waiting to toast his four-shot victory over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson.
“It was a very enjoyable 20 minutes (before a dinner in his honor in the clubhouse) to just be with my family over there in such a special cabin just by ourselves for a little bit was very nice,” said Rahm, speaking on Wednesday during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the RBC Heritage.
Among those to congratulate Rahm on his second major championship and 11th PGA Tour title was fellow Spanish star and winner of 22 majors in tennis, Rafael Nadal, who left a poignant voicemail. Rahm also noted he didn’t celebrate as hard as some might imagine.
“That will take part next week,” he said.
Nevertheless, Rahm said he didn’t sleep well, observing that whenever he wins, whether it is the adrenaline rush he enjoys or something else, he finds it difficult to come down from the victory buzz.
“Monday night, I slept great and still woke up tired,” he said.
Yet, Rahm is scheduled to play this week at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where a star-studded field in one of the PGA Tour’s designated events is set to compete for $20 million, an even larger purse than last week’s Masters. He spent an extra day in Augusta, Georgia, on Monday with his family to give his body some extra rest before he shifted into competition mode. (He was on the practice-putting green at Harbour Town by early Tuesday afternoon and played nine holes in the pro-am on Wednesday morning.)
The field counts 41 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking and 29 of the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings are in the field, with one notable absence: Rory McIlroy. After missing the cut at the Masters, McIlroy withdrew from the tournament on Monday and is skipping his second designated event. Did Rahm, who returned to World No. 1 on Monday, consider withdrawing from the RBC Heritage after playing 30 holes on Sunday and feeling both physically and mentally exhausted?
“It did cross my mind, but I made a commitment earlier in the year, and I want to honor that commitment,” said Rahm, who is seeking his fifth Tour title of the season. No player has won five times in a season on Tour since Justin Thomas in 2016-17. “I also, talking to (wife) Kelley, I put myself in the shoes of not only the spectators, but the kids as well. If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play good or bad, just want to be there.”
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Rahm is the first reigning Masters champion to play the following week on Tour since Jordan Spieth in 2015. Rahm confirmed that the green jacket awarded to the Masters champion is with him this week, but he’s focused on donning the tartan jacket awarded to the Heritage champion on Sunday. This week marks his second start at the RBC Heritage, his first since 2020, when he finished tied for 33rd.
“I can promise you that every time I tee it up in a tournament, it’s going to be to win. It may feel better or worse, but I intend to try my hardest to win,” he said. “I still intend to hopefully do the jacket double and taking this one home.”
He added: “I feel like I’m going to be feeling better every day. So I think it could be a little challenging early on, but if I can get through the first two days, I think on the weekend I’ll feel back to normal.”
Rahm also was asked by Jimmy, a Make-A-Wish Foundation heart-transplant recipient, if he had given thought to his menu for next year’s Champions Dinner on the Tuesday of Masters week, which is hosted by the defending champion.
“I think this is the part of the week that I’ve given the most amount of thought already,” Rahm said. “I don’t know exactly. Chef Jose Andres is a really good friend of mine, so I’ll be working with him. I also want to talk to Ollie (two-time Masters champ Jose Maria Olazabal), because we’re from the same part of Spain, to see what he did in his dinner, see if I can go a different route.
“I think I have one of the appetizers down, which would be jambon, Spanish ham, the dessert, which I won’t be disclosing, and the wine. Everything in between is still up in the air. Those three things, I think I have down for now.”
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“I think that’s just the nature of playing professional golf, where every shot matters so much.”
When Patrick Cantlay’s name appeared on the RBC Heritage’s pre-tournament interview schedule, that shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Cantlay fell to Jordan Spieth in a playoff last year, failing to get up-and-down from a bunker on the first hole. He also has two third-place finishes and a solo seventh in his five starts at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
What’s also not a shocker is Cantlay, ranked fourth in the world, was asked questions about last week’s Masters in the midst of preparing for the sixth designated event on the PGA Tour’s schedule.
During Sunday’s final round, Cantlay was with Viktor Hovland in the penultimate group. Eventual winner Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka were in the final pairing, and on nearly every shot throughout the final round, they were forced to wait on the pair in front of them.
“Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow,” Koepka said. “Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”
However, Cantlay’s play, or his slow pace, was focused on more. Even Hovland seemed annoyed, as on the 13th hole, he hit a chip shot before Cantlay even reached the putting surface.
On Tuesday, Cantlay deflected the notion the slow play was his fault.
“(When) we finished the first hole, and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot,” Cantlay said. “We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”
A couple more questions went by, and another one was asked about whether Cantlay thought pace of play was an issue on the PGA Tour and how it could be resolved.
“One thing that’s interesting sitting on the PAC (Player Advisory Council) is you get all the numbers and the data, and rounds have taken about the same length of time for the last 10 or 20 years that they currently take,” Cantlay said. “When you play a golf course like Augusta National where all the hole locations are on lots of slope and the greens are really fast, it’s just going to take longer and longer to hole out.
“I think that may have been what attributed to some of the slow play on Sunday, and then also when the wind is gusting and the wind is blowing maybe inconsistently, that’s when guys will take a long time, too. I think that’s just the nature of playing professional golf, where every shot matters so much.”
Sounds like Cantlay isn’t concerned with the widespread bitterness being held over his head.
This season, he has three top-four finishes and has missed only one cut in nine starts. And with his track record at Harbour Town, he could find himself in the mix once again come Sunday.
Jon Rahm’s four-stroke win and his second major championship was the most-watched golf broadcast in the past five years on any network, CBS reported Tuesday. It averaged 12.058 million viewers, peaking at 15.021 from 7-7:15 p.m. ET. The numbers are up 19 percent from last year’s final round.
Sunday’s presentation on CBS totaled 16.251 million viewers in combined average viewership for the conclusion of the third and final rounds. Additionally, it also became the most-streamed round of golf ever on Paramount+, whilerecording double-digit year-over-year growth across households, minutes, and average minute audience (AMA) vs. last year’s final round of the Masters.
CBS Sports' Masters Marathon delivers 16.251 million combined total viewers on CBS for coverage of Sunday's Third and Final Rounds.
The previous high for a final round was 2018, when Patrick Reed slipped on the green jacket. That Sunday averaged 13.045 million viewers.
Rahm chasing down four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, combined with the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf storyline, made for a compelling Sunday. And the numbers reflect that.
As always, Augusta National Golf Club leaves us too quickly. However, we’ve brought together some of the best items to help keep the vibes from Augusta flowing.
From apparel worn by players throughout the week to t-shirts and accessories, this list features top of the line items centered around the best week of the golfing calendar.
It’s never too early to start working on the menu. Fortunately, Golfweek asked Rahm about this very possibility.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jon Rahm has a little less than a year to figure out his menu for next year’s Champions Dinner ahead of the 88th Masters, but it’s never too early to start working on the menu.
“I have an idea, yes,” he said. “It would be Spanish cuisine. I’m lucky to be friends with chef Jose Andres (owner of restaurants in several cities around the United States and winner of a number of awards for his cooking) and I would seek out his help a little bit.”
As it turned out, Andres participated in the 2023 Masters Par 3 Contest, caddying for Sergio Garcia. Andres also got a chance to take aim at the ninth green during the event.
Spanish chef Jose Andres and caddie for Sergio Garcia plays a shot on the ninth hole during the 2023 Masters Par 3 Contest at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Spanish cuisine has been a popular pick for past Spanish winners of the Masters. In 2018, Garcia served up a menu full of Spanish-inspired dishes, including a dish called Arroz Caldoso de Bogavante, which is described as a traditional Spanish lobster rice dish. In 1995, Jose Maria Olazabal went with paella and hake, plus tapas.
This year, Scottie Scheffler’s menu had a Texas flavor to it and was a big hit with his Scottie Style sliders, although his tortilla soup was declared way too spicy. So, Rahm is now on the clock. Here’s hoping it’s paella for everyone.
Nearly half the players who went for the green in two and didn’t hold it found the water.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’s been 21 years since Augusta National Golf Club first added extra length to Azalea, the par-5 13th hole at the end of Amen Corner.
The green jackets first moved the tee back 20-25 yards in 2002, then eight years later added another seven yards to the front of the tee box. Ahead of this year’s tournament, the 13th tee was moved back 35 yards.
“We believe this modification will put a driver in play more often and restore the element of risk and reward that was intended in the original design of the hole,” said chairman Fred Ridley during his annual address on Wednesday.
“And I certainly look forward on Sunday to having someone in competition with a 3- or 4-iron in their hand or even a hybrid hitting their shot into the 13th hole rather than an 8-iron,” he added. “I think on balance it’s going to prove to be the right decision.”
That begs the question: did Augusta’s plan work?
Sure, it’s a small sample size to use just one tournament’s worth of data, especially when two of the four rounds were greatly impacted with inclement weather and numerous delays, but let’s not let a little rain and wind get in the way of a fun thought exercise. After all, we have to start somewhere.
Here’s a look at how competitors played the 13th hole in Sunday’s final round of the 2023 Masters.
Apr 2, 2018; Augusta, GA, USA; Beauty shot of the 13th green during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National GC. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Lay up or go for it?
Augusta National’s depth of stats for the Masters is truly impressive, but there isn’t an annual stat breakdown for “Go or No” on No. 13. The closest thing we have to compare is from the folks at the Fried Egg, who took a look at how players approached the 13th on Thursday.
Of the 86 players in the field, 31 laid up (36 percent) in the opening round, 16 from the fairway (19 percent).
63% of the field went for the green in two, and 36% of second shots held the green. Three players attempted to reach the green from the pine straw right of the fairway. Eight approaches landed in the tributary of Rae’s Creek. — The Fried Egg
In the final round, four of the 53 players who made the cut went OB off the 13th tee. Of the 49 who were in play, 24 laid up (49 percent), 20 went for the green in two and didn’t hit it (41 percent), and only five went for it and held it (10 percent).
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It’s interesting to see a more even strategy during the final round compared to the first, but not shocking given Sunday’s amplified pressure, as well as windy and cold conditions. What was surprising was how even the split was for those who started off the first and 10th tees. Those at the bottom of the leaderboard (with seemingly less to play for) started on the second nine, with 11 opting to lay up and 11 choosing to test their luck. Among those who had a bit more to play for that started off No. 1, 14 went for the green in two and 13 laid up.
From those who laid up – 22 of the 24 did so from the fairway – seven made birdie and 16 made par. Mito Pereira was the lone eagle after holing out from the fairway.
Of the 20 players who went for the green in two and didn’t hold it, nine found the water (five bogeys, four pars). Scottie Scheffler (par) and Sepp Straka (birdie) were the only two who went for the green from off the fairway. In total, six who went for it made birdie, nine made par and five made bogey.
Here’s how the five who went for and held the 13th green fared:
Tommy Fleetwood: Birdie
Chris Kirk: Birdie
Phil Mickelson: Birdie
Justin Rose: Birdie
Cameron Young: Eagle
Over the last 22 years at the Masters, the 13th hole at Augusta National has been one of the three easiest holes 20 times. In the other two years (2008 and 2013) it was the fourth easiest hole. This year, the 13th played as the fourth easiest hole, and despite the weather and added yardage, the numbers were pretty similar.
Scores at No. 13 since 2002
Year
Rank
Eagles
Birdies
Pars
Bogeys
Double bogeys
Other
2002
16
4
83
133
35
7
3
2003
16
3
83
145
45
5
3
2004
16
7
89
135
31
12
0
2005
17
7
88
150
29
6
2
2006
17
14
96
120
33
9
2
2007
16
9
89
167
38
6
3
2008
15
8
87
137
33
11
1
2009
17
14
124
128
19
6
1
2010
16
10
107
129
33
7
1
2011
18
13
137
115
24
6
1
2012
16
10
128
127
39
9
1
2013
15
2
127
132
42
3
2
2014
18
8
122
123
39
3
1
2015
18
20
141
111
22
9
1
2016
17
7
119
122
37
5
2
2017
18
6
128
131
22
5
0
2018
18
9
128
112
24
7
0
2019
18
17
158
102
23
3
1
2020
16
8
139
120
34
2
0
2021
17
9
132
112
23
6
2
2022
16
6
91
139
37
6
4
2023
15
8
108
122
30
7
2
No. 13 played as the toughest of the four par 5s, and players averaged 4.74 for the week – down from 4.85 last year – but scored 4.85 on average in the final round, the highest of the par 5s on Sunday.
Players made more birdies and eagles compared to last year, and slightly fewer pars and bogeys. Double bogeys and others were about the same.
This is just one round of the first Masters with the added length to the 13th tee, and players are sure to figure out the best way to play the hole the more cracks they get. While more time will be needed for an accurate ruling on the changes, the risk/reward was back in the first year.
We’ve already taken a look into Rahm’s winning equipment, so let’s dive into the champion’s closet and see how Jon dressed for success in TravisMathew apparel at the 2023 Masters.
