Jon Rahm fulfills his Panda Express prophecy to win his first Masters title
Ten years ago, almost to the day, Jon Rahm cracked open a fortune cookie at Panda Express and pulled out this prophecy: “Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded”
That prompted the 18-year-old golf prodigy to tweet: “I am gonna win the masters!”
Nothing wrong with a little delayed gratification.
Rahm, who opened the legendary tournament with a four-putt, cruised to a four-stroke victory Sunday, holding off Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson — two stars of the LIV Golf series — and becoming the first European to win both the Masters and U.S. Open.
“I find that hard to believe I’m the first one,” Rahm said after he was informed of that in the champion’s news conference. “If there’s anything better than accomplishing something like this, it’s making history.”
In the Augusta National pro shop is a door that leads to a room filled by the storied green jackets unseen by non-members until the L.A. Times was given exclusive access.
It was a win of synchronicity and serendipity for Spain’s Rahm, whose victory came on the birthday of late countryman Seve Ballesteros, who 40 years ago won his second green jacket. Ballesteros died of a brain tumor in 2011.
A jubilant Rahm, 28, was greeted on the green by his wife, toddler sons and father, then had an embrace and brief conversation with fellow Spaniard and Masters winner José María Olazábal.
“He said he hopes it’s the first of many more,” Rahm said. “We both mentioned something about Seve, and if he had given us 10 more seconds, I think we would have both ended up crying.”
The outcome was a continuation of a dramatic youth movement in golf. It marked the seventh consecutive major championship won by a player in his 20s, a streak that began with Rahm’s U.S. Open victory in 2021 at Torrey Pines.
Excitable and combustible as a younger player, Rahm was cool and composed throughout the final round, shooting a 69 and following the rare bad shots with good ones. On No. 18, for instance, he had a bad drive — he even had to hit a provisional for fear it was a lost ball — but, in true Ballesteros style, scrambled to make par.
“I might have looked calm, but I was definitely, definitely nervous out there,” he said. “I’m glad that’s the way it looked. That’s what you strive for, right? You don’t want to panic, and I never panicked. I felt comfortable with my game, and I had a plan to execute, and that’s all I can do.”
Because heavy rains Saturday led to the suspension of play, much of the field had to finish the third round early Sunday morning, when it was cold but mercifully dry. But by midday, with the final round in full swing, the clouds had cleared, the temperature climbed and it turned out to be a postcard day.
LIV tournaments are 54 holes, and that’s about how long Koepka lasted. He was 13 under par to start Sunday before shooting a three-over 75 and watching his four-shot lead evaporate. He endured a birdie drought that lasted 18 consecutive holes.
Koepka has won four majors, and Sunday was the fourth time he was a runner-up in one.
“Obviously it’s super disappointing,” he said. “Didn’t play good enough to win. Hit some shots where I also feel like I didn’t get some good breaks. ... Didn’t feel like I did too much wrong, but that’s how golf goes sometimes.”
Rahm’s victory spared the Masters the unsavory story line of a LIV player winning, considering the controversy surround that Saudi-backed tour. But Mickelson, 52, made a surprisingly robust run at a fourth green jacket.
Mickelson birdied five of the last seven holes and shot 65, the lowest round by a player 50 or older in the history of the Masters. He’s also the tournament’s oldest player to finish in the top five.
“I’m hopeful that this kind of catapults me into playing the rest of the year the way I believe I’m playing,” he said. “I really worked hard in the offseason to get ready. I’ve been shooting some really low scores at home, and today I kind of let it happen rather than trying to force it, and I had a really good day and made some noise.”
The Masters and Augusta National, a tradition like no other, has inspired golf fans to recreate the holes and scenes in backyards all over the country.
Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed and Russell Henley tied for fourth at seven under, with Cam Young and Viktor Hovland a shot back. Amateur Sam Bennett, who came into Sunday near the top of the leaderboard, was a combined six over in the final two rounds and finished tied for 16th.
The day began with Tiger Woods withdrawing from the tournament after seven holes in the third round, having reaggravated the plantar fasciitis in his foot.
On Saturday, Woods made his record-tying 23rd consecutive Masters cut, despite bogeys on this final two holes. He was last in the field at nine over par for the tournament.
The only Masters cut Woods failed to make was as an amateur in 1996.
In another coincidental twist, Rahm was coached at Arizona State by Tim Mickelson, who now caddies for brother Phil. When the freshman Sun Devil tweeted about that fortune cookie, Tim Mickelson had a supportive tweet in response:
“I do not doubt you for a minute,” Mickelson tweeted. “Power of the mind can be a beautiful thing my friend.”
Power and power of the mind. Rahm had them both Sunday.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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