There was no catharsis or consolation in the Spaniards’ match this Sunday at the Masters at Augusta. It wasn’t likely that there would be. Both Jon Rahm (+1) and Sergio García (+8) had come to Augusta with targets much higher than finishing the final day in the third-last group. Rahm, at least, carded a 68 with seven birdies, a small vindication though absolutely insufficient. It’s not that it feels too little, it’s that it hardly counts for much.
“The balance of the week is bad, quite bad. It’s three years running arriving on Sunday with no chances at all. Yes, it ends up mattering to finish with a good round, so to speak, but that’s not what you train for. I’d like to have chances to win or, at least, to be close and be able to fight. Finishing before the leaders tee off is pretty annoying, so I’m not going to say many good things about this week,” said the Biscayan without dodging the issue and facing up as he usually does. “If only it were the first round of next year, then maybe it would have helped…”, he joked
“This is not what one trains for. I’d like to have chances to win or, at least, to be close and be able to fight”
Rahm doesn’t even want to hear about a possible Majors syndrome. He has three top-10s in the last eight and, perhaps most importantly, no real chance of winning, apart from the PGA Championship last year where he showed up, although he wasn’t truly in contention until the end. “I don’t feel more pressure than ever. We all have the same pressure to want to win, especially those of us who, in theory, are favourites. It may look like it from the outside, but no. I’ve simply played badly,” he says
Be that as it may, Jon does have a logical ambition to be back in contention, especially since he moved to LIV Golf. He has a huge desire to prove he made the right decision and that it hasn’t affected his performance in the big events. That can have an influence from a mental point of view, although Rahm doesn’t see it that way.
“The mental side remains very important. In any sport it is, just like physical preparation, and in golf even more so, because of the four or five hours you spend on the course, the physical action occupies very little time. It’s a continuous job: sometimes you improve, sometimes you get worse, sometimes you work on things that don’t work and other times you take huge leaps forward,” he says
Jon felt more comfortable out on the course today. Those seven birdies bear witness to that. He hit some very good shots, like the second at the 2nd, the second at the 3rd, the second at the 7th, the first two shots at the 8th, the approach he holed from off the green at the 9th, the second at the 11th, the great putt at the 12th, the recovery at the 13th after going into the water, the second at the 14th (a pity he missed a short putt) and the second at the 15th. That’s many good shots, although there’s the frustration of not having been able to finish under par, let alone level par
Sergio García, for his part, shot 75 in a round heavily marked by the driver breaking at the 2nd after a moment of frustration. He had to play the rest of the round hitting a 3‑wood from the tee, a significant handicap on a long course like Augusta. He was recovering and suffering more than creating birdie opportunities. He played catch-up, although at no point did he give up and he kept fighting
For Sergio this ends as a torture, although he says there is still work to do. “First is to find some good feel that can change this dynamic. I’m not planning to look for someone to help me, a coach, I think it’s up to me, I know myself well. Playing with friends or on the practice ground I’m hitting very good shots. It’s a competition thing, finding something,” he said afterwards
“First is to find some good feel that can change this dynamic. I’m not planning to look for someone to help me, a coach, I think it’s up to me, I know myself well”
That is the search he will be immersed in over the coming weeks. It’s the next step. He isn’t even thinking about other targets like playing the Open. “First I’d have to qualify and I’ll try, but right now that’s not the most important thing. You have to keep going, try to find some positive feel and see if we can straighten the game out a bit. Right now it’s complicated, that’s the truth, but we’ll see what we’re capable of”
In that sense, Jon Rahm, his playing partner today at Augusta, offered him some support. “About Sergio, talking about retirement seems exaggerated to me. Those are things said in the heat of the moment. Sergio still has more than enough talent to compete wherever he wants. He has plenty of quality and he’s still there. If I were asked for advice, I’d tell him to stop saying silly things, so to speak, of that kind and to concentrate on what he has to do to get back on that path. At the beginning of last year he played incredible golf, some of the best I’ve ever seen from him. That player is still the same, he’s not that far from that Sergio. I hope he gets over it, because I’m convinced he can play much better than he has shown so far”
Jon Rahm, on Sergio García: “If I were asked for advice, I’d tell him to stop saying silly things, so to speak, of that kind and to concentrate on what he has to do to get back on that path”
Rahm and Sergio talked at different moments during the round, although not a great deal. The moment García is going through doesn’t invite much chat and Jon knows that. The anecdote of the day came at the 2nd, just after Sergio broke his driver. Rahm’s caddie stayed raking the fairway bunker and Sergio’s caddie was carrying both bags on his shoulder, Sergio’s and Jon’s. García took Jon’s bag and carried it a few metres. Then he handed it to Rahm
