- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,640
- Reaction score
- 59
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jon Rahm is lost.
The Spaniard looked dejected striding up the hill to scoring at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, his head spinning while trying to piece together what had happened in the five hours prior. His face was painted a darker shade red than the speckles on his shirt, a telling sign of the frustrating opening round at the Masters that has plagued Rahm in yet another year.
SCORES: Masters 2026 leaderboard, tee times, videos
Rahm, who won the 2023 Masters, is no stranger to slow starts at Augusta National. Since winning his second major title three springs ago, Rahm has opened over par every time since, the latest effort resulting in a 6-over 78 on a Thursday that had Rahm searching for answers between every swing.
"It's a hard golf course. Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it's just not an easy one," Rahm said.
Hearing Rahm admit he has no feel with his swing is surprising. He has a win and three runner-up finishes in five starts for LIV Golf this season. Data Golf ranks him as the No. 2 player in the world behind only Scottie Scheffler. Coming into the week, many expected Rahm to contend, some even deeming him the favorite.
After 18 holes, his chance of sliding on a second Green Jacket is all but gone. All he wants to do now is play the weekend.
"Hopefully get some physio, get some dinner, get something positive going in that sense. Tomorrow is a new day," Rahm said. "It's going to be a very much more uphill battle right now."
Many of the game's biggest stars showed up Thursday. Defending champion Rory McIlroy (67), two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler (70) and 2018 champion Patrick Reed (69) all had stellar starts on a firm, fast Augusta National that many players say is playing as tough as they can remember.
But not Rahm. He bogeyed the opening hole to get behind the 8-ball from the start. Then on the par-5 13th, he yanked an 8-iron left into the azaleas, unable to find his golf ball. After a drop and a outside chance at par, he three-putted for double bogey.
"I still don't know what happened, honestly," Rahm explained. "To get so lucky off the tee, to have an 8-iron in my hand, I don't know, that ball came out 20 — about 10 yards left, 20 feet higher, and hooking in a way that I didn't expect. To make such a mistake from what could have been a good birdie look, it's a big problem."
Rahm's struggles Thursday followed a trend of LIV Golf players not having a good time at Augusta National in the first round. Of the 10 in the field, including five past Masters champions, none of them shot under par.
But Rahm's disappointing round is the latest in a long line of slow starts at a course he has conquered before. In the midst of one of his most consistent stretches of golf in his career, he didn't make a single birdie.
"I've done that a few times, yeah. I've done that a few times, but it still sucks to be in this position, to need a Herculean effort the next two days to give myself a chance to maybe sniff having a chance to win," Rahm said. "It's just frustrating."
Jon Rahm is lost. At Augusta National, that's the worst place to be.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2026: Jon Rahm opens in 78, says he lost feel in his swing
Continue reading...
The Spaniard looked dejected striding up the hill to scoring at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday, his head spinning while trying to piece together what had happened in the five hours prior. His face was painted a darker shade red than the speckles on his shirt, a telling sign of the frustrating opening round at the Masters that has plagued Rahm in yet another year.
SCORES: Masters 2026 leaderboard, tee times, videos
Rahm, who won the 2023 Masters, is no stranger to slow starts at Augusta National. Since winning his second major title three springs ago, Rahm has opened over par every time since, the latest effort resulting in a 6-over 78 on a Thursday that had Rahm searching for answers between every swing.
"It's a hard golf course. Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it's just not an easy one," Rahm said.
Hearing Rahm admit he has no feel with his swing is surprising. He has a win and three runner-up finishes in five starts for LIV Golf this season. Data Golf ranks him as the No. 2 player in the world behind only Scottie Scheffler. Coming into the week, many expected Rahm to contend, some even deeming him the favorite.
After 18 holes, his chance of sliding on a second Green Jacket is all but gone. All he wants to do now is play the weekend.
"Hopefully get some physio, get some dinner, get something positive going in that sense. Tomorrow is a new day," Rahm said. "It's going to be a very much more uphill battle right now."
Many of the game's biggest stars showed up Thursday. Defending champion Rory McIlroy (67), two-time Masters winner Scottie Scheffler (70) and 2018 champion Patrick Reed (69) all had stellar starts on a firm, fast Augusta National that many players say is playing as tough as they can remember.
But not Rahm. He bogeyed the opening hole to get behind the 8-ball from the start. Then on the par-5 13th, he yanked an 8-iron left into the azaleas, unable to find his golf ball. After a drop and a outside chance at par, he three-putted for double bogey.
"I still don't know what happened, honestly," Rahm explained. "To get so lucky off the tee, to have an 8-iron in my hand, I don't know, that ball came out 20 — about 10 yards left, 20 feet higher, and hooking in a way that I didn't expect. To make such a mistake from what could have been a good birdie look, it's a big problem."
Rahm's struggles Thursday followed a trend of LIV Golf players not having a good time at Augusta National in the first round. Of the 10 in the field, including five past Masters champions, none of them shot under par.
But Rahm's disappointing round is the latest in a long line of slow starts at a course he has conquered before. In the midst of one of his most consistent stretches of golf in his career, he didn't make a single birdie.
"I've done that a few times, yeah. I've done that a few times, but it still sucks to be in this position, to need a Herculean effort the next two days to give myself a chance to maybe sniff having a chance to win," Rahm said. "It's just frustrating."
Jon Rahm is lost. At Augusta National, that's the worst place to be.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2026: Jon Rahm opens in 78, says he lost feel in his swing
Continue reading...
