Jon Rahm got off to a horrible start at the Masters on Thursday, but he came back so strong that he made history.
One thing that has always been said about the Masters is that you cannot win a green jacket on the first day, but you can certainly lose it. Rahm looked like he might be headed for the latter scenario after he four-putted and made a double bogey on the first hole.
That was the only blemish on the Spaniard’s scorecard. Rahm, who was once known for letting his emotions get the best of him when things went poorly, was completely unfazed by the double bogey. He birdied the second, third and seventh holes before recording an eagle on the eighth. Rahm shot a 3-under 33 on the front nine even after the nightmare start, and he did not cool down on the back nine.
Rahm made four more birdies on the back nine to shoot 7-under for his opening round. He was tied for the lead at the time he finished. His 65 was the lowest single-round score from any player in Masters history who made a double bogey or worse on the opening hole.
Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm are tied for the lead after recording first-round 65s.
Hovland: lowest score in his major championship career (previous: 66)
Rahm: lowest 18-hole score in Masters history among players with a double bogey or worse on first hole#themasters
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 6, 2023
You can see Rahm’s full card below:
Jon Rahm double bogeyed his first hole at #TheMasters
He was 9-under the next 17 holes pic.twitter.com/0e7qVah7gB
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 6, 2023
In the past, Rahm probably would have slammed a club in anger and had trouble controlling his emotions. The fact that he was able to right the ship so quickly in the biggest event of the year is another example of just how far he’s come.
