Matthew Coritz

It’s a classic 3-button blazer tailored by the Hamilton Tailoring Company, of the “Pantone 342” color, cut from the cloth of a tropical wool fabric sourced from Dublin, Georgia. It’s a shade more commonly known as Masters Green. It’s said the cost to make the jacket is around 250 dollars. But donning that jacket after all 72 holes, all of the tradition of the hallowed grounds of Augusta National, and the pressure that comes with it as the Masters Champion? That’s something money will never be able to buy. It’s the most iconic trophy in sports, and man is Jon Rahm seeing green. Jon Rahm, the buoy, has notched his 4th win of the season and is now a two-time major champion with an impressive 4 shot win at the Masters Tournament. He could have been deterred by getting the bad side of the draw, having to deal with the brutal Friday afternoon rain and wind. He could have fallen victim to the back 9 catastrophe that so many greats of the game before him have. But as Justin Thomas said, Jon Rahm was in total control of his golf ball all week, there was no stopping him. 

After a missed cut at Bay Hill and a withdrawal from The Players, Rahm was able to fly a bit under the radar with Scottie Scheffler being the clear favorite. Scheffler was coming in as the defending champion fresh off his own dominant showing at The Players. There was also the aura Tiger brings with him everywhere he goes, always drawing so much attention his way. Not to mention all of the buildup about this being the first event where the PGA Tour guys and LIV guys would be competing since the big split ate up a significant portion of the headlines. Despite all this, Rahm just did his thing, and after 4-Putting the first hole, he was lights out. To be honest, I got caught up in the chatter too. I talked myself into Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Jason Day as my picks. But the signs were right there. Rahm’s caddie Adam Hayes was sporting bib number 49 all week. That 49 is significant because it’s the birthday of Rahm’s idol Seve Ballesteros, the legendary Spaniard who has 2 green jackets of his own. Ballesteros tragically passed away due to Brain cancer in 2011, and what better way to honor him than winning the Masters on his birthday 4/9 with his caddie rocking bib 49. 40 years to the day Seve won his second Masters, this was meant to be. Rahm also called his shot all the way back in 2013 when he posted a picture on Twitter of a fortune cookie that read “Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded” with a caption that read “I’m gonna win the Masters.” A lot of people at age 18 say they’re going to win the Masters, and obviously not very many actually do. Thank you Panda Express, your cookies and writers are pretty much responsible for this moment.

It was another good showing from Brooks Koepka, who just 4 short years ago was golf’s clear-cut alpha. But things have changed. Rahm was the one strutting all over Augusta National Golf Club, never wavering in both bravado and ball striking. Koepka looked off from the first tee of his final round when he sprayed his first drive a country mile left. It was definitely a very encouraging performance, but unfortunately for Brooks, this wasn’t a 54-hole LIV event and those last 18 did him in. He was 12 under through his first 2 rounds, battled through tough conditions on Saturday to maintain a 2-shot lead going into the final round, then stumbled to a disappointing final round 75. He finished tied for second. It was good to have him back though. He was chippy in interviews, “spittin’ facts,” and showing so much of the game that made him an unstoppable force in majors, but he came up short this time. Golf seems to have a new guard coming in fighting their own battle with Scheffler and Rahm being the heavyweights, but Koepka is such an intriguing character to have in the mix. Love him or hate him, it’s fun to have a villain shake things up. 

There were a pair of golfers who went out early Sunday and lit the place up. Not so surprisingly one of those golfers was Jordan Spieth. In probably the biggest shock of the tournament, the other guy was Phil Mickelson. Both started the day at 1 under, 10 shots off the lead. Flying high sporting his “Hy-Flyers” LIV golf team gear, Phil fired a Sunday-low 65 to finish tied with Brooks at 8 under in second place. Spieth’s momentum halted on the 18th with a disappointing bogey to shoot 66 and finish at 7 under. It’s hard to state how out of the blue this was for Phil because, at age 52, all the data had shown he was coming into the tournament playing some of the worst golf of his career. The last time he had finished inside the top 20 at Augusta was back in 2015. But golf is a funny game sometimes, and it seemed to be a case just like a few weeks ago when Max Homa said, “You’re only one swing thought away from being good again.” Phil got back to a place he’s certainly comfortable at (he has 3 Masters wins) and found something magical. 

Another golfer doing his best to steal the show was the low amateur Sam Bennett. The young amateur from Texas A&M, who looks like Dabo Swinney’s long-lost son, had no fear and finished in a tie for 16th at -2. A top-20 finish as an amateur on your first trip to Augusta? Super impressive. The kid just oozes swag and never seems to be scared of the moment. Walking through the grounds of Augusta with a tattoo on his left arm reading “Don’t wait to do something,” the last piece of advice his dad gave him before passing away due to Alzheimer’s, Bennett sure made his Pops proud. He’s a kid who is super easy to root for with charisma you can’t teach. I got to see a lot of him at the US Amateur last summer and he has the focus and shotmaking of a pro. While I admit his long preshot routine can be a little jarring, he makes up for it with a club twirl smoother than silk. The kids got a bright future.

The final storyline for this week is the greatest of all time, Tiger Woods. He made another cut yet sadly had to make another withdrawal. There are many calling for him to hang ‘em up and just retire because he has nothing left to prove. It’s a bit of an overreaction as these were the worst possible conditions for him with cold weather and rain. Only a couple months ago, Tiger finished in the top 50 and under par at the Genesis Invitational.  But I think people fail to understand that guys like Tiger just don’t think like that. What once made him invincible is now causing him to keep trotting himself out there with just about every injury in the book. Quitting isn’t in his DNA. With a combination of unfaltering self-belief, love for the game, extreme work ethic, and stubborness, we get this version of Tiger Woods. And it’s a second act that’s just as inspiring as the first. Nobody grinds out rounds like Tiger Woods does. If he wants to work his ass off and grit his teeth through as many holes as he can, let him. Who are we to say he’s in too much pain to play? Is he the world-beater that was a threat to win everytime he teed it up? No, but let’s not act like he’s a bad golfer. Maybe instead we could appreciate how much the man grinds and put some of that to use in our own lives. 

Another year, another Masters week gone, and what a time it was. The grounds of Augusta National produce unmatched theater year after year and stories seem to write themselves. Jon Rahm has been seeing green this year, and there’s a whole host of players looking to knock him off the throne. With so much anticipation all winter, most people talk about a post-masters lull…but this season is just getting started.