Masters Recap
Well, there are 51 weeks until the 88th Masters Tournament — a countdown that die-hard golf fans created as soon as Jon Rahm accepted his green jacket after winning the 87th rendition and etching his name in history.
It was quite a week at Augusta National, and as always, it didn’t disappoint.
The world of golf has drastically changed in the past year making this Masters Tournament feel slightly different.
The “band got back together” so to speak as 18 LIV golfers were a part of the field and their performance changed the narrative that several media outlets pushed.
A lack of drama with the “reunion” turned heads as people were expecting something crazy to happen upon just the sight of one another.
To LIV Golf’s credit (considering it’s been criticized for its lack of competitiveness), it had several players finish on the top page of the leaderboard; heck, there was almost a LIV winner.
Brooks Koepka, who won the LIV Orlando event the previous week, came out hot in rounds one and two.
After expressing his confidence in his ability and health, the four-time major championship winner strutted into the weekend at 12-under par.
However, Rahm had other plans.
The rain on Friday forced several players to finish round two on Saturday and additional moving-day showers forced a significant amount of round three to be played Sunday.
Koepka notably received the lucky end of the deal with a late-early first two tee times allowing him to post such a low 36-hole score; yet, rounds three and four were full of struggles.
Even though Sunday’s weather conditions were milder compared to the storms, aside from some gusty winds and cooler temperatures, Koepka’s approach shots lacked their pin-hunting accuracy.
As he carded more bogeys, Rahm heated up.
The Spaniard plays patiently and always appears to capitalize at the right moments as the rest of the competition is trying to hang on.
Overall, it was essentially a two-man race for the elusive green jacket, and in the 30 holes played Sunday, Rahm piled on the intensity in the right moments to finish four shots ahead of the rest.
Amateur Sam Bennett did what other amateurs have been unable to do in the past few Masters: make the cut.
After the first two rounds, the Texas A&M phenom stood in third place at eight under par — one of the best 36-hole starts by an amateur in Masters history.
At the tournament's end, Bennett remained in the red numbers at two-under securing the Low Am award.
Overall, it was another year that had shocking stars miss the cut, a surprising finish and a week packed full of storylines with one champion.
There’s no saying what will happen in the world of golf during these next 51 weeks, but nevertheless, Magnolia Lane awaits those that will be fortunate to return.
Augusta National is simply a course that benefits the grind and values a player’s experience; it can provide the greatest rewards but also endure grueling hardships in a matter of moments.
It’s etched in tradition regardless of any noise outside its bounds which is why it’s a place unlike any other, the Masters is a tournament unlike any other, a tradition unlike any other.
Amanda Vogt is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email her at aev5215@psu.edu
