Spain’s Jon Rahm has claimed his second major championship, with his first victory at the Masters.
Rahm finished at 12-under after a final round 69, four shots clear of Phil Mickelson, whose second place finish broke a record that has stood since 1962.
Third round leader Brooks Koepka had a disappointing final round, shooting 75 and finishing in a tie for second with Mickelson.
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“I just kind of played average, and I didn’t get any good breaks, either,” Koepka said.
Koepka had a two shot lead heading into the final round, but he and Rahm were level as they walked off the fourth green, and the Spaniard had the lead after the sixth hole, an advantage he would never relinquish.
The 28-year-old was two shots to the good at the turn, before birdies at the 13th and 14th effectively closed out the tournament, putting him four up with four to play.
He nearly made a mess of the 18th when his drive hit a tree and didn’t even reach the fairway, but he had enough in hand that it made no difference.
Rahm’s win comes on what would have been the birthday of his hero, Seve Ballesteros, who won at Augusta in 1980 and 1983.
“For me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his win, his birthday, on Easter Sunday, it’s incredibly meaningful,” Rahm said.
“To
finish it off the way I did — an unusual par, very much a Seve par, it was in a non-purposeful way, a testament to him, and I know he was pulling for me today, and it was a great Sunday.”
Mickelson turned back the clock, shooting his lowest-ever final round at Augusta National to surge up the leaderboard.
The 52-year-old, a three-time winner of the tournament, shot 65 to finish the tournament at eight-under.
Mickelson becomes the oldest player ever to record a top-five finish at the Masters. The previous record was held by three-time champion Jimmy Demaret, who finished fifth in 1962 at the age of 51.
Mickelson’s round came alive on the second nine, with birdies at 12, 13, 15, 17 and 18. His sole bogey for the day came at the fifth hole.
It’s the left-hander’s first time in contention at a major since his history-making win at the PGA Championship in 2021, where he became the oldest ever major champion.
In 2022, Mickelson skipped the Masters amid the fallout from an interview he gave where he said he supported the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, despite describing the Saudis as “scary motherf—ers”.
Rahm becomes the fourth Spaniard, after Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia to win the Masters.
It turned out to be a disappointing Masters for the Australians. Cameron Smith finished at three-over, one shot ahead of both Jason Day and 2013 champion Adam Scott.
Scores:
276 – Jon Rahm
280 – Brooks Koepka
280 – Phil Mickelson
281 – Jordan Spieth
281 – Patrick Reed
281 – Russell Henley
Others:
292 – Cameron Smith
293 – Jason Day
293 – Adam Scott
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