Jon Rahm has finished in ninth position in this 83rd edition of the Augusta Masters, and has done so with the best card of the week, 68 strokes, and a total of -10, very close to the miracle. On Sunday afternoon he was one stroke behind the leaders, who at that moment, when Jon birdied the 13th, were Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods.
“Not as much as a miracle. I knew it was very difficult. I was looking at the scoreboard, it is inevitable, and for a moment I was one stroke behind, but I missed a couple of birdies and above all, yesterday’s round that I punctured a little,” said Rahm, whose heart was divided between Woods and Molinari. “I would love Tiger to win, it would be great for him and a whole history of the return of such an iconic player; but on the other hand, there is Francesco who is good for European golf and especially for his caddie, Peio, who is a great friend,” he said from the clubhouse.
“Another Top Ten is not bad but I leave with bittersweet feelings, happy with the result but a little sad for not having had options to fight for the jacket,” he added.
For his part, Rafael Cabrera was finally reconciled by the putt and finished with 68 strokes, a round today of four less: “I wish all the rounds of the Masters at Augusta ended with four less, I sign it right now,” said the player from the Canary Islands, who is left with the good feeling of having improved today with the putt. “It was what was failing me all week. I had a very good drive, also with the irons, but I was not accurate on the green. Today at least it worked and I’m leaving with a good feeling,” he said.
“It’s a strange feeling, to be playing the last round, to be finishing by the 9th hole and to be hearing all the time the screams on the course and you’re not there, but hey. It will all come,” he added.
And the screams heard on the course were for Tiger Woods. The legend is back. The former world number one came to Augusta as one of the favorites. At 44 years old, after several back and knee operations, with a personal and family life aired throughout the press, rising to the heavens and falling to the depths of hell, Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods is always a player to be reckoned with, although in August he did not appear until the last final holes of the second round, after a half-hour suspension due to a storm.
We don’t know what went through Tiger’s mind, the fact is that we saw a new player. Always from behind, his four previous jackets were won by leaving the leader in the last round, the Californian has once again broken all the statistics that have been written about him and adds his fifth green jacket.
He faced a worthy opponent, Francesco Molinari, 50 holes without a bogey until the mistake on the 7th, from which he recovered well, it must be said, because he immediately birdied the 8th.
But where there was no mercy was with the double bogey on the 12th, the par 3 of Amen Corner. There the forces were equalized with his rival and in that terrain Tiger did not forgive. He had already won the psychological war, then came the birdie festival that again showed its red and black color of the great occasions.
Birdie on 15, birdie on 16 to mark the distance and although he wanted to finish with a long putt for par, the bogey was just as good and then came the explosion of joy, the arms in something, the war cry, the hugs, the kisses, the gestures of victory from him and all his family and friends who were waiting for him on the green. Eldrick “Tiger” Woods is back, the golf world needed him, even more so now that he has become human.
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FIRST DAY: Remarkable start for Jon Rahm
The Masters 2019 began with great news for Spanish golf, the provisional sixth place of Jon Rahm, author of a hard-working card of 69 strokes (-3). The Basque was three strokes off the lead, which went to Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Jon Rahm played for the fourth time under par at Augusta in his only three participations in the tournament, a fact to keep in mind for what is to come. Five birdies and two bogeys appeared on his scorecard at the end of a round in which Tiger Woods, a fellow player, was not far behind either. 70 strokes (-2) for ‘the Tiger’.
More discreet was the start of Sergio Garcia, who went to 73 impacts (+1) after trailing from the 6th hole, a par 3 in which he scored a double bogey that interrupted a sequence of five consecutive pars. The Spaniard, however, left ample evidence of his quality.
Rafael Cabrera, meanwhile, rowed hard to finish the day also with 73 strokes (+1). In his case, a triple bogey at the 10th made things difficult for him, but the Canary Islander cleared up the situation with two providential birdies at 16 and 17. José María Olazábal (78, +6), who did not have the dream debut in one of his talismanic courses, had more work ahead of him. Neither did important golfers like Justin Rose or Jordan Spieth, both with +3.
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SECOND DAY: Jon Rahm maintained his chances on the second day of the event
On the second day, Jon Rahm maintained his chances of winning it all on a day with a bittersweet taste for Spanish golf, as it was the farewell of Sergio García and José María Olazábal.
The water unloaded on Augusta National, forcing to be evacuated by threat of thunderstorm with electrical apparatus, although the game was resumed half an hour later. The fire was set by Tiger Woods, reborn like a Phoenix from the ashes and placed among the first.
While the Basque started strong with two birdies in the first three holes, he later chained a string of 14 consecutive pars, which despite everything kept him -5 until the end, with a magnificent Top Ten with two rounds to go. The provisional leader was Francesco Molinari, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen with -7.
The second Spaniard with options was Rafael Cabrera (-1) who made the cut thanks to a consistent round of 70 strokes (-2), the result of three birdies and a single bogey.
The bad news of the day was the eliminations of Sergio García (+4) and José María Olazábal (+13). Especially painful was that of the Castellon native, who since his victory in 2017 has not just found himself at ease in The Masters. This time he said goodbye with a fateful bogey at 18 . which condemned him.
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THIRD ROUND: Third round under for Rahm
Third day of The Masters 2019 and third round under par for Jon Rahm, who despite showing a solid version of his game barely kept any title option at Augusta National.
The Spanish golfer finished his third appearance with a card of 71 strokes (-1) in which a beautiful eagle was slightly marred by a bogey at the 18th that made him lose positions. Late on Saturday he was fifteenth with a total of -6, seven strokes behind the provisional leader, Francesco Molinari.
“I’m a little frustrated because nothing came out of it. At five strokes off the lead I thought it was difficult, but after Molinari’s round I was seven strokes behind and now I need a miracle. The bogey on 18 hurt me a lot: the whole day fighting to finish like that; but well, we have to continue, it will be a little strange to go out from the two tees, but we’ll see how it goes. Let’s hope for the best,” said Rahm.
For his part, Rafael Cabrera had an irregular round of 75 strokes (+3) that left him in 50th place, far from the Top 10. The Canary Islander paid dearly for his mistakes in the first nine holes, which resulted in three heavy bogeys.
“I didn’t hit a single putt, I went looking for a flag to recover and I got into trouble. I’m a little disappointed because the game is not bad, but with the putt I can’t find a good feeling,” said Rafael Cabrera.
SOURCE: RFEG / Isabel Trillo from Augusta
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