2023 Masters - Jon Rahm

[crazed 9.6]

The Masters is on this weekend.
First round starts Thursday morning.
they had the Par 3 round on Wednesday which i watched and was entertaining.
Gary Player who is well into his 80's made a showing during this Par 3 round. he is amazing for his age , wow !

Not many like to win this Par 3 contest, as it seems that they think its a curse to win. If you win the Par 3 play, then you will not win the Masters tournament, or at least no one has. So most of these guys play the Par 3 for the fun of it alone and eventually do something to get their card disqualified. Like Sergio who was tied for the lead, attempted a chip shot and missed badly, he then picked up his ball and tried the same shot again, That got his card disqualified and probably by design for Sergio :)


Tiger Woods is in the hunt for another Masters.
If he makes the cut, he will have tied the record for 23 straight Masters without missing the cut.
Ties with Gary Player and Nick Faldo , I think.
*scratch Faldo , it was Freddy Couples and Gary Player.


The weekend looks to be cold thou and with electrical strikes in the air, so it seems. This will not play good for Tiger as he will be playing his round when all hell breaks loose which will most likely delay the play till the next day. Which will be tough on the old guy with his injuries and etc... This is what happened to Tiger in the Masters last year. He made the cut even while supporting a bad leg and hip, but come game time the bad weather set in which killed Tiger and his game. I doubt Tiger will be the Masters winner with all this against him. But would be good to see some good golf from the Big Cat this weekend.

Last year's Masters winner has been playing some great golf recently and has a good chance to repeat the championship at this Masters.
Rory is and has been playing great too and has a chance at his 9th try at a Grand Slam, if he wins come Sunday.
Jason Day as well will be one to watch. He has been playing some good golf lately.

MANY others are favorites as well, it's a 'staked' field.
Anyone could win this thing come Sunday :)

[crazed 9.6]

The article linked below was just posted about an hour ago.
It's an interesting analysis and predictions for this year's Masters.


https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/2023-masters-picks-odds-expert-predictions-betting-favorites-to-win-from-field-at-augusta-national/

[4me2c]

4me's Picks are Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Scottie Scheffler, 1-4...!!!

[crazed 9.6]

After opening with a double bogey on the first hole , John Rahm went on to score a 65 and tied for the lead at -7
What a performance !

Rory is not fairing so well with a bogie and a double bogie.
Hovland who was paired with Tiger, is also sitting at -7 and IN the clubhouse with a score of 65 as well.
Tiger, not so good :(

Cam Young has been impressive and IN the clubhouse @ -5

Still lots of golf to go for the day with Speith, Day and others now on the back nine.

[crazed 9.6]

Rahm, Hovland and Koepka are tied for the lead @ 7 under.
Young and Day holding fast @ 5 under.

A couple notables are Freddy Couples and Mickelson in @ 1 under par.
Woods finishes @ 2 over par.

Spieth in @ 2 under and Rory @ Even
And our defending Master's Champ Scottie Scheffler in @ 4 under.

Projected cut line @ 1 over par

[crazed 9.6]

Scottie Scheffler missed some putts which he should not have. There were 3 or 4 of them that were within 2 feet which he missed.

I don't think there is a doubt that Scottie will find his putter soon thou. How can he not when at his level?
And when he does, I say look out to the rest of the field :eek:

Back to Back Masters has only been done by a two or three players in the history of the tourney.
Tiger done it in 2002 and only Nicholas and Faldo have also done it.

65 is a course record which is now shared by Rahm, Keopka and Hovland !
If only Scottie hadn't of missed those 3 or 4 short putts.
Or Rahm's double bogey at the first.

With all the names on the top of the Leaderboard, it's gonna be a golf game today !
Just looking for Rory to catch up :)

And will we hear the the roar of the Big Cat this Friday at Augusta !?

[crazed 9.6]

With 2nd round play (cut day), the projected cut is now set @ 2 over Par

Brooks Koepka was one of the first of the leaders to tee off earlier this morning and now @ -12 currently on the 15th hole (shooting 5 under for the day this far).
Jason Day @ -8 on the 12th is the other top score for those out on the course so far today.

Sottie got a Bogey on the 9th

Spieth worked his way from -3 to -5 on his first 5 holes, now @ -4 on the 7th

added:
projected cut is set back up to 1 over Par

Rain and lightening in the air has cancelled the second round with a few players not yet finished their rounds, including Tiger, Rahm and Hovlan. So they will have to finish up early Saturday morning.

Scottie has not yet found his putter :(
Rory had a score of 77 for the day and will miss the cut.

Koepkla is IN the clubhouse @ -12
Day dropped back from -9 to -5
So did the rest of the field. They all lost a few strokes during their rounds.
Except Phil, who had a double Bogey but finished with 3 or 4 Birdies,

Our low Ammeter Bennet, was hoping to be the low Ammeter in the field, but he has a chance to win this whole thing. Showing a -8 on his scorecard after Friday's round.
Great golf from Bennet these last two rounds. This is Bennet's first appearance at Augusta :eek:

[crazed 9.6]

The players that did not finish yesterday's round are out on the course now. And it's raining, with more in the forecast.

A few of the scores thru holes 14 and 15...
Rahm @-10, Havland @-6, Woods @+1, and Young @-7
Lowery IN @ -4

I think the projected cut is now set @ 2 over Par


Koepka (@-12) has not yet teed off for his Saturday's 3rd round.
Rahm who is finishing up his Fridays' round is currently 2 back of the leader, with a possible Birdie chance coming up on the 15th which would put him @-11
Rahm got his Birdie to move within one , but then the 16th gave him a Bogey.

Tiger dropped a shot at the 17th as did Justin Thomas on the 15th, which puts them @+2 and right on the cut line.

Tiger's tee shot on the 18th went left into the trees :eek:

Tiger had a long putt to save Par , but missed it by couple feet. A Bogey will put Tiger @+3 :(
The cut line @+2 is still not written in stone yet, but it's almost.

Tiger's only chance now is if one of the two possible players (Thomas or IM) gets a Bogey in their last 2 holes, which would move the cut line to +3

Rahm gets a Birdie on the 17th.
That's 3 Birdies with the one Bogey for Rahm since play started this morning (in the rain).

Thomas Bogeys the 17th !!!
Tiger may be in !

[crazed 9.6]

Thomas Bogeys the 17th !!!
This means the cut line may have moved to +3 and also means that Tiger @+3 may be in !

Kind of ironic cause the rain is really coming down and others are getting Bogeys too.
It only could have been Thomas or IM to make Bogeys to drop that cutline thou, (the others were too far above the cut to change anything)..

The ironic thing is that in last year's Masters play, Tiger lost his game once the weather came in.
While today that weather just very well have saved Tiger.


Sheets of rain coming down. Play is still on with two groupings yet to come IN
No lightening , so they play on... Just an April shower :)




Saturday's Round 3 Leaderboard ..
(look for the 3rd Round's first group to tee off in 20 minutes time, in the rain)

Brooks Koepka @-12
Jon Rahm @-10
Sam Bennett(A) @-8
Collin Morikawa @-6
Viktor Hovland @-6
Jason Day @-5
Sam Burns @-5
Jordan Spieth @-5
Cameron Young @-5

*Other notables ..
Phil Mickelson @-4
Scottie Scheffler @-1
Fred Couples @+1
Tiger Woods @+3

*Missed Cut ..
Bryson DeChambeau @+4
Mike Weir @+4
Rory McIlroy @+5
Sergio Garcia @+7



Tiger ties with Gary Player and Freddie Couples with 23 consecutive times to make the cut @ The Masters.
Tiger's only time he did not make the cut was as an Ammeter.
The following year as a Pro, he won the Masters, becoming the youngest to do so.

[4me2c]

Lucky #13....?!?

[crazed 9.6]

Lucky #13....?!?

I think there are 76 players that made the Cut, with +\- 50 tied positions amongst them.
Them others that I listed (to make up 13) were just a few notables .. such as Phil who is the oldest to win a Masters title.(a few years ago).

The first group in Saturday's 3rd Round are just teeing off now on the first.

update:
With our Leaders at the 6th hole, play has been suspended due to weather.

[crazed 9.6]

They are on the course finishing off yesterday's round.
The leaders have just finished up on the 9th

Koepka @-13
Rahm @-11
Bennett @-6

Just another 9 holes to go and then they will be ready for Sunday's Final Round :eek:

[4me2c]

Just saw the scrolling banner on the bottom of the news stating that Woods will not be in the Masters...?!? So 4me went looking and found :


https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/2023-masters-tiger-woods-withdraws-from-play-at-augusta-national-before-third-round-resumes-sunday/

" 2023 Masters: Tiger Woods withdraws Sunday during third round after making 23rd straight cut at Augusta
The 15-time major champion will not return to action at the 87th Masters"

"Woods struggled to get the gears turning in Round 3 on Saturday, visibly struggling -- amid the harsh weather conditions and quick turnaround of rounds -- to walk on his surgically repaired leg.

Tiger slipped slightly when walking from the 16th green to the 17th tee in Round 2 as he labored to make the cut, and his demeanor was never the same afterward. He winced constantly during the third round and looked overwhelmed with pain."

[crazed 9.6]

Yea Tiger is done. It's a long long ways around that golf course.

Hovland had dropped back but has made a late run with 4 Birdies in a row on the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th holes to get him to -7
*make that 5 Birdies in a row, with another on the 15th

Koepka @-12 thru 14
Rahm @-10 thru 14
Hovland @-8 thru 15
Cantley @-6 IN




Leaderboard for Sunday's Final Round..

Koepka @-11
Rahm @-9
Hovland @-8
Cantley @-6
Matsuyama @-5
Henley @-5
Bennett(A) @-4

Rahm takes the lead at the 6th @-10 while Koepka @-9

Spieth is not done yet , as he is making his way onto the leaderboard @-6 , with an Eagle attempt at the 15th
Missed the Eagle but takes Birdie to get him into 3rd place @-7

Scottie @-6 thru 11
Mickelson @ -6 thru 15
Hovland @ -6 thru 7
Cantley @-6 thru 8
Young @-6 thru 13
Henley @-6 thru 9

[crazed 9.6]

One of the special things about golf that I love is that there are no big corporate sponsors advertising in your face all day long.
You won't see a billboard or a sign or any advertising on the course. All you will see is maybe a small logo on a Player's shirt, and most are Golf advertisement.
When there is a commercial break, it is one commercial we have to endure (with maybe 2 on Sunday) and we are right back playing golf. And usually that one commercial is a golf commercial.

Golf knows how to do it !!
:)




Koepka Bogies the 9th to get him to @-8 , while Spieth Birdies the 17th to get him to @-8 and tied for second place with Koepka.
Rahm now has a 2 stroke lead.
(Spieth in the trees after his tee shot at the 18th).
Mickelson still coming @-7 thru 17

Spieth Bogies the 18th @-7
Mickelson Birdies the 18th @-8 and into 2nd place. That is the lowest Master's one day score for Mickelson, shooting 7 under Par for his one day total with a 65 on his scorecard.

Rahm @-10 thru 10
Koepka @-8 thru 10
Mickelson @ -8 IN
Spieth @-7 IN
Young @-7 thru 17
Reed @-7 thru 13
Hovland @ -5 thru 11
Henley @-5 thru 12
Cantley @-5 thru 11



oooh oh for Koepka, who takes another Bogie at the 12th, which puts Mickelson (who is IN the clubhouse), puts him into second all by himself, and just 2 back from the Leader.
A couple mistakes by Rahm and Mickelson could take home a Green Jacket !
Don't wanna jynx Rahm thou, as I am all for him to win this thing!
Even on the edge of my seat at times :)

Ok, ok, any thought of a jynx is now gone.
Rahm Birdies the 13th (as did Koepka, but Bogies the 14th), Rahm just hit a shot onto the 14th green that will surely get him another Birdie :)

Rahm @-12 thru 14
Mickelson @ -8 IN
Spieth @-7 IN
Koepka @-7 thru 14
Reed @-7 thru 16
Young @-6 IN
Henley @-5 thru 15
Hovland @ -5 thru 15

Cantley @-4 thru 14
Bennett(A) @-3 thru 16

Koepka Birdies the 15th and the 16th to get him back into second spot all by himself @-9


Jon Rahm Masters Champion 2023 !!

Final..
Rahm @-12
Koepka @-8
Mickelson @ -8
Spieth @-7
Reed @-7
Henley @-7
Young @-6
Hovland @ -6

Jon Rahm Masters Champion 2023 !!

[dara]

Nice win by Jon Rahm. Congrats to Phil too.