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Masters 2023 live updates: Jon Rahm becomes fourth Spaniard to win green jacket
Jon Rahm celebrates his Masters victory.
Christian Petersen
On what would have been Seve Ballesteros’ 66th birthday, Jon Rahm has become the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters, joining countrymen Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia. He joins Ballesteros and Olazábal as the only Spaniards to have won multiple majors.
Rahm shot a final-round 69 at Augusta National to finish at 12 under and beat Phil Mickelson (65) and Brooks Koepka (75) by four shots to claim his second major title to go along with his U.S. Open victory in 2021. The win is Rahm’s fourth of the season and his 11th career victory on the PGA Tour. With the win—and Scottie Scheffler finishing T-10—Rahm will return to World No. 1.
"History of the game is a big part of why I play and one of the reasons why I play ... Seve being one of them," Rahm said in his interview in Butler Cabin. "If it wasn’t for that Ryder Cup in '87, we don't know where we would be. For me to get it done on the 40th annivesary of his win, his birthday, on Easter Sunday, it's incredibly meaningful."
The marathon final day, caused by severe storms on Saturday, started at 8:30 a.m., when players had to finish their third rounds. Koepka had a four-shot lead over Rahm as they resumed play on the seventh, but with a quick birdie-bogey swing, the Spaniard closed the gap to two.
Rahm, 28, began the final round trailing Koepka by that same two-stroke margin, but as the burly Spaniard birdied the third and Koepka dropped a shot at the par-3 fourth, the pair were tied. As the duo were several clear of the chasing pack that included Viktor Hovland and Patrick Cantlay, it appeared to be a two-man race for much of the front nine.
Koepka, seeking his fifth major championship and first since the 2019 PGA, made his second bogey of the final round at the par-3 sixth, and as Rahm got up and down from off the front, he claimed sole possession of the lead at 10 under. He would not relinquish the advantage.
But as Rahm and Koepka did not pull away from the field, the chasers had hope. On the front nine, Cantlay, Hovland and Russell Henley each got within a few shots of the lead, but neither were able to catch Rahm.
Two years after becoming the oldest major winner in history at the PGA Championship, Mickelson put together the most compelling charge, as Rahm made bogey at the ninth. After starting the final round at one under, 10 shots back of Koepka’s lead, Mickelson went out in two-under 34, before starting a furious run to the clubhouse at the par-3 12th. Lefty birdied the last two holes of Amen Corner before adding another at the par-5 15th.
Still only at six under in the fairway at the par-4 17th, Mickelson knocked his approach to tap-in distance for another birdie. Mickelson was playing alongside Jordan Spieth, who was putting together a charge of his own, seven under on his round that showed signs of his charge in 2018 that saw him come up just short.
And just like 2018, Spieth, who came to the 18th at eight under, pulled his final tee shot into the trees, forcing a layup. As Spieth failed to get up and down for par, it was Mickelson who took the clubhouse lead, holing a 10-foot birdie putt to shoot 65, tying his lowest career round at the Masters. With his tied second finish alongside Koepka, Mickelson is the oldest player to record a top-five finish at the Masters.
Despite a bogey at the ninth and Mickelson’s charge, Rahm was still two ahead of Lefty’s clubhouse lead as he made the turn to the final nine. After pars on 10, 11 and 12, Rahm hugged the left side down the newly lengthened par-5 13th. The aggressive play allowed him to go for the green in two, and he got up-and-down from just off the green to match Koepka’s birdie and keep his margin.
Rahm appeared in a tough spot with tree trouble to the right of 14 fairway, but a slicing second shot and use of the slope on the green set up a five-foot birdie look, which he converted to inch further ahead.
Despite birdies at the 15th and 16th, Koepka remained three shots back as the pair headed to the final two holes. Koepka’s drive headed well left, leading to bogey, and with Rahm sinking a testy five-footer for par, the lead heading to the 18th was four.
There was a brief moment of anxiety on the final tee for Rahm, who drove it well left into the trees. After hitting a provisional, his ball was found short of the fairway, having bounded back off the trees. He laid up and wedged it to within four feet to finish win a par and win his first green jacket. Rahm’s win marks the seventh straight major won by a player in his 20s, a run which started with the Spaniard’s maiden major title at Torrey Pines two years ago.
Masters 2023 live updates
7:23 p.m.: Jon Rahm pars the final hole and has won the Masters. He finishes at 12 under, beating Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka by four shots. Rahm, who had driven the ball well for most of the round, drove it well left of the final hole, forcing him to hit a provisional. He found his original ball, which had bounced short of the fairway, and he laid up and wedged it to within a few feet to secure the final par.
Rahm becomes the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters, joining countrymen Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia. He joins Ballesteros and Olazábal as the only Spaniards to have won multiple majors.
7:09 p.m.: Koepka fails to keep the bridie streak going as he drives it well left off the tee on the 17th, leading to a bogey to drop back to eight under. Rahm rolls in a tricky five-footer for par to head to the 18th tee with a four-shot lead.
6:54 p.m.: Brooks Koepka rolls in the birdie putt on the 16th to make it two in a row and get to nine under. Rahm’s birdie try finishes just short, so the margin is now three with two holes to play. The amateur Sam Bennett finishes up at 18, shooting a final-round 74. He currently sits in a tie for 17th.
6:49 p.m.: Rahm uses the backstop at the par-3 16th to funnel it back to around 10 feet for birdie. It will be a slippery, left-to-right slider, and one that Koepka will face as well from a few feet further away.
6:40 p.m.: After laying up on the par-5 15th, Rahm narrowly misses his birdie attempt. Koepka knocked it on in two and two-putted for birdie to get back to eight under, in a tie for second with Phil Mickelson. Rahm remains four clear. After a bogey at the 14th, Viktor Hovland fails to take advantage of the par-5 15th, carding just a par, leaving him at five under.
6:22 p.m.: Jon Rahm may be on his way to a second major title. He carves an approach into the 14th and rolls in an eight-footer to get to 12 under, four clear of Mickelson’s clubhouse lead. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka three-putts the massive 14th green, dropping back to seven under.
6:08 p.m.: Solid. Rahm matches Koepka’s birdie at the par-5 13th. Rahm’s lead remains three over Mickelson and Koepka. Patrick Reed is at seven under, four back as he plays the 16th.
5:59 p.m.: Viktor Hovland is not out of it yet. He makes his first birdie of the final round on the par-5 13th to move to six under, four back of Rahm. He made five birdies in a row on the second nine this morning as he finished his third round. He'll need a similar performance through this stretch of the course this evening.
Rahm, meanwhile, hit the longest drive of the day on the 13th, but tugged a middle iron left of the green. Koepka is still struggling with his irons, and really needs to find something quickly as he's fallen three behind.
5:47 p.m.: The 12th hole plays a pivotal role in Brooks Koepka's final round once again. He avoids the water this time, but his chip from behind the green doesn't reach the putting surface. His putt from off the back of the green rolls five feet past the hole and he cleans that up for bogey. He now trails Rahm by three as the final pair heads to the 13th tee.
Ahead at the 14th, Reed bogeys after missing the green long and left. And at the 18th, Young misses the green and can't hole his chip to match Mickelson's score of eight under par. He officially cannot win, but it's still quite the Masters debut for the 25-year-old.
5:33 p.m.: Two new names have entered the mix. Cameron Young has birdied the 17th hole to move to seven under. He needs to birdie the 18th to match Phil Mickelson's clubhouse lead at eight under par. Back at the bottom of the property, Patrick Reed birdies the 13th hole to move to seven under.
5:19 p.m.: It was fun while it lasted, Jordan. Spieth yanks his drive into the trees left of the 18th fairway and can't get up and down for par. A bogey drops him to seven under par and a tie for fourth. Meanwhile, Mickelson fist pumps in a birdie putt to post eight under par. He is the leader in the clubhouse after a Sunday 65. Only Rahm has a better score right now.
5:06 p.m.: It's a first-nine, three-over 39 for Brooks Koepka. He started the day with a two-shot lead and now trails Jon Rahm by two as both players in the final pairing bogey the ninth and turn to the second nine.
5:02 p.m.: What a day for the Spieth/Mickelson pairing. Their approach shots on the 17th are a combined 12 feet from the hole. Mickelson taps in for birdie to move to seven under. He's trying to become the oldest player to finish in the top five at the Masters. Spieth follows him up with a birdie of his own to move to eight under par. If he can post eight (or nine) under ... that will at least give the leaders something to look at.
4:47 p.m.: Rahm smells blood. Two excellent shots and an even better pitch from just short right of the eighth green leaves a tap-in birdie to move to 11 under par. Koepka has a country mile to two-putt for par to keep the lead just two ... and he nestles his birdie putt right next to the hole for an easy par.
4:37 p.m.: Jordan Spieth has birdied the 15th hole to pull within three strokes of the lead. The man who has won on the last two Easter Sundays is looking for a third.
4:24 p.m.: And here comes Scottie Scheffler! His putter is finally cooperating as he drains a long birdie putt on the 11th to get to six under par for the tournament, four back of Rahm—in a tie for third. Now he'll have to conquer the final two thirds of Amen Corner.
It's all happening now! Déjà vu at the 16th as Sahith Theegala, from long and left of the green chips up to the top of the ridge and watches his ball take a right turn and slowly drop into the cup for a birdie. He is also now six under. Quite the Masters debut.
Back to Scheffler, his tee shot at the infamous 12th flies over the green and the pair of bunkers behind it and stays up in the trees and bushes. He's got one of the hottest rounds on the course, but will have to navigate that situation to keep himself in the mix.
4:15 p.m.: Jordan Spieth could not take advantage of the par-5 13th, but he rolls in a birdie at the 14th to get to six under par. He's four back of Rahm with four holes to play, including the par-5 15th and the easily accessible pin on the par-3 16th. Buckle up, folks.
4:11 p.m.: We have a new leader as another par-3 bites Koepka. He falls out of a share of the lead with a bogey at the sixth after airmailing the green and blowing his chip well past the hole. Frankly, he was lucky for his ball to stop where it did. Another couple rolls and it may have gone off the front of the front of the green. Jon Rahm leads alone at 10 under.
4:01 p.m.: Viktor Hovland just dropped ... a long way. A double bogey on the par-3 sixth will push him to the T-3 spot along with Gary Woodland and Russell Henley. It's right after a tremendous par save too. That one really hurts, a few very makeable putts there to not fall so far.
3:58 p.m.: Rahm's looking real good right now with a long birdie putt that nearly finds the hole. He'll attain an easy par instead. Koepka will follow that up with his own chance to take the solo lead once again, but he'll miss as well. Should be able to par this one and keep the mano-a-mano duel tied up. At the moment, Hovland, Woodland and Henley round out the top-five leaderboard.
3:50 p.m.: With two bogeys in a row, Patrick Cantlay may have taken himself out of contention despite the blistering third round. He's dropped to T-9 and can't seem to make those putts that he was so confident at even earlier today. He's one of seven players tied for ninth, including Sam Bennett who seems to be settling in after an up-and-down morning.
3:39 p.m.: The dynamic duo of Spieth and Mickelson continue to have some fun with Lefty sinking a long putt to get to four under and a T-10 spot.
Koepka looking shaky right now, relinquishing sole lead at the fourth hole. He'll bogey it, and Viktor Hovland is only two strokes behind as well.
Gary Woodland will jump up to seven under with a nice birdie putt on the eighth hole. He's just one back from Viktor Hovland and three back of the co-leaders. Woodland's four under for the Final Round thus far, just one of three along with Spieth and Sahith Theegala. Theegala, by the way, has risen to a T-9 spot after four birdies and just one bogey on his front nine.
3:36 p.m.: And now Jon Rahm will have a chance to knot it all up with a birdie putt, as Brooks Koepka will have to hit from the bunker. BK knocks it right behind the hole and will have a great chance to save par. After that chip, Jon Rahm will putt for a share of the lead; he narrowly misses it. Needed just a little more.
3:25 p.m.: Nothing funnier than Spieth shooting a tremendous Augusta round on Sunday after being a bit out of it. He hits it brilliantly off the tee at the par-3 12th and will have a chance to make his fourth birdie in his last five holes.
Brooks doesn't put enough on that tap at the third and now Rahm will get a chance to narrow the two-stroke lead to just one with a birdie putt of his own. And ... he'll sink it. The Spaniard down just one now with 15 holes left to play. Entertaining stuff.
3:17 p.m.: Ooh, Koepka misses a birdie opportunity right after Rahm misses a birdie chance of his own and the two will remain stagnant. They both have had looks but haven't been able to capitalize so far this round.
3:10 p.m.: Jon Rahm will play from the far bunker on the second after a tough second shot, and now Brooks Koepka will find a different bunker of his own around the green. Russell Henley will jump into fourth now, as well, after a birdie on the third. He has two birdies through the first three holes. And that, that's immediately followed by a Jordan Spieth birdie. The two-time Masters winner will climb up to T-6, four under for the final round.
3:04 p.m.: Triple-bogey and an eagle back-to-back there for Mito Pereira. Crazy hole-out eagle on the 13th hole. A par-3 6 and par-5 3 on consecutive holes is certainly something.
2:58 p.m.: Viktor Hovland is still rocking his green sweatshirt, a bold move on Masters Sunday. He's still three strokes behind Koepka, as he takes on the second hole with BK and Rahm right behind his group.
2:48 p.m.: Two easy pars there. No trouble at all. Not a second of worry for Koepka immediately hitting it to the wrong fairway and Rahm missing the green on the second shot. Well, still the same as where we started, but a little stressful out of the gate.
2:41 p.m.: From the ninth fairway, Koepka will clean up his first drive with a blind shot right to the green. Rahm with his own mistake on the first hole now, missing the green completely and going right. Gotta get the rust off right now. They haven't played a round at Augusta National since *checks watch* earlier today...
2:38 p.m.: Viktor Hovland nails a BIG par save. Just the first hole, but you don't want to drop a stroke so early with the leaders just teeing off. That's then followed up by Patrick Cantlay missing a very-makeable par putt. He'll bogey 1 and drop to T-4 and five under.
2:33 p.m.: Jim Nantz. Chills.
Here we go. Koepka and Rahm get set to tee off. It's all happening on CBS (and the live blog) right now. AND ... that's not a great start for Brooks who hits it so left that Nantz sounds stunned. Interesting!
2:25 p.m.: Viktor Hovland tees off, and the Norwegian starts his final round off going fore left. He's paired with Patrick Cantlay who also had a strong Round 3 showing. Hovland is just three back of Koepka. Certainly there for the taking.
2:22 p.m.: It's just never normal with Jordan Spieth, is it? A missed birdie putt on the par-4 7th by Spieth is preceeded by a bogey, a birdie and a bogey. He's one under so far in this final round, and his pairing with Phil Mickelson is certainly going to give us fireworks, in good ways and bad. Lefty birdies the seventh, right after Spieth's miss. Phil takes a one-shot lead over his playing partner.
2:15 p.m.: Now that the pressure's a little lighter on Scottie Scheffler, the defending champ is having a strong showing early on in the final round on Sunday. Scheffler has birdies on 2 and 3 this afternoon and has jumped up to T-7 at four under.
1:53 p.m.: The leaders tee off in 40 minutes. Get your popcorn ready. A tale of the tape below.
1:42 p.m.: There are bogeys out there too. Tommy Fleetwood started his round on the 10th hole and has bogeyed 10, 11 and 12.
1:26 p.m.: There are birdies out there early, if the leaders happen to be paying attention to the scores. Masters rookie Sahith Theegala is absolutely on fire early, making birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 4. He hit it close at the first, got up and in at the par-5 second and hit his tee shot to four feet on the par-3 fourth for his third birdie. He's now in a tie for ninth place.
1:16 p.m.: Jordan Spieth shot a third-round 76 to wiggle his way out of contention. He's out now with Phil Mickelson in the first round and just made birdie on the par-4 first hole after hitting an approach to three feet. He's two-under overall and tied for 15th place.
1:04 p.m.: It's getting real. The week has been long, but we should have our champion in six hours.
12:44 p.m.: The final round is off and the first groups are already through their respective first holes. (FYI, the photo below is not of the first groups off.)
12:21 p.m.: A few of the better pairings this afternoon: Phil Mickelson-Jordan Spieth (12:49 p.m.); Scottie Scheffler-Matt Fitzpatrick (1:27 p.m.); Xander Schauffele-Patrick Reed (1:55 p.m.); Viktor Hovland-Patrick Cantlay (2:24 p.m.); Brooks Koepka-Jon Rahm (2:33 p.m.).
12:15 p.m.: Final-round pairings below.
12:12 p.m.: Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka will be going off at 2:33 p.m.
11:50 a.m. The third round ends with Brooks Koepka holding a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm and three over Viktor Hovland. Despite the chilly conditions, nine players manage to break par. Although not a big number it remains far from the zero players that broke par in 1956’s third round which stands as the only time in Masters history no player broke par during a round.
11:34 a.m. The pin placements for the final round are out and many are the traditional placements (see Nos. 13, 16, 18, etc.).
11:31 a.m. The 17th is one of the underrated holes at Augusta National and as the last group passes through the scores there during the third round prove it. The hole gave up just two birdies—to Patrick Reed and Sam Burns—while causing issues for others. Among them were Justin Rose and Joaquin Niemann, as both dropped from four under to two under with double bogeys, effectively ending any outside hope for a championship run. Brooks Koepka also three-putts for bogey, dropping to 11 under and all of a sudden it seems like a few others are now in the mix.
11:14 a.m.: How on earth is Brooks Koepka leading this thing? At a tournament that normally puts a premium on hitting greens, Koepka has hit only five of 16 greens hit and three of those were on the par 5s. His stellar short game, however, exemplified by a sporty up and down from the right-hand bunker at the par-3 16th, has him three ahead of Jon Rahm, who bogeyed.
10:55 a.m.: Whoa, boy. Both Brooks Koepka and Sam Bennett spin their approachs off the front of teh 15th green, but instead of rolling to the water, both hold up, clearly the result of the damp conditions. The shots, particulalrly Koepka's given his position, is reminiscent of Fred Couples' break on the bank in 1992 when he won.
10:48 a.m.: The battle has been joined! Viktor Hovland, with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 15th makes it five in a row and now is within four shots of the lead. That’s an important number as the last 26 Masters champs have all been within four shots after 54 holes.
10:26 a.m.: Viktor Hovland is BACK!!!! With just the fourth birdie of the day at No. 14, Hovland has a string of four straight heading to the par-5 15th and all of a sudden what looked like a two-man race might be more than that.
10:21 a.m. Jon Rahm produces a sloppy three-putt after an indifferent approach at the par-5 13th, leading to a bogey and handing back the stroke he gained on Brooks Koepka a hole earlier. It is Rahm's third three-putt of the week and, of course, we'd be remiss not to mention the four-jack on his opening hole of the tournament.
10:03 a.m.: Brooks Koepka's lead is now one after a sloppy chip that went eight feet past the hole, then he failed to get up and down. That fortuitous break for Jon Rahm leads to an up-and-down, which brings him within one of the lead for the first time in this final round.
9:53 a.m.: Oh my ... Rahm gets another very fortunate break at the iconic par-3 12th hole—as his tee shot landed kind of deep in the pine straw and flowers behind the left side of the green. But his ball scooted all the way out of the trouble and back almost onto the green. He is clearly saying Amen at the Corner. Koepka's shot was less eventful, just missing the green to the left.
Bennett hits a dime onto the green to have about 10 feet left for a birdie to get back to one-over on his round. The amateur from Texas A&M is showing some true grit in this third round after his bogey-bogey start.
9:50 a.m.: Rahm came dangerously close to missing the green left at the difficult par-4 11th—not a mistake you want to make on Sunday—but got away with it and found the green. His birdie try went three feet past, but he knocked in the comebacker to remain two back. Brooks Koepka's 8-iron from 200 yards came up just short of the putting surface, but he hit a great approach putt to about a foot to remain 13-under.
9:43 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay had entered the chat with birdies on 13, 15 and 16—but a poor three-putt from the eight-time PGA Tour winner drops him back to 6-under and in a tie for third with amateur Sam Bennett, who has held strong Sunday morning. Bennett quickly made up for his dropped shot at the seventh hole—where he resumed after play was called—with a 24-foot birdie make at the par-5 eighth.
9:27 a.m.: OK ... a bit of a test for Koepka after his drive on the 10th hole lands in pins behind branches of a tree that give him no shot to the green. He plays the sensible chip out then hits is third hole high 12 feet to the left. And makes the par. And there's a fist pump ... showing you he knew that was a big deal.
9:20 a.m.: Cantlay doesn't let the disappointment linger. He stick his tee shot on the par-3 16th and makes birdie to go to four under on the round and seven under total, now in solo third.
9:11 a.m.: Suffice it to say, there are more players than just Koepka and Rahm on the course. After hitting his second who on the par-5 15th hole, Cantlay has a eagle look to get to seven under and solo third place. Unfortunately, he can't convert, settling from birdie.
9:04 a.m.: Both Koepka and Rahm look very much in control of their games, so much so that when minor mistakes emerge, they feel magnified. Rahm's approach to the ninth goes long and into a bunker left of the green, setting up an awkward shot. Meanwhile, Koepka hits his approach pin high but has too much spin and has it pull off the green. Yet both get up and down for par. If you're looking for them to slip, you might have to wait a while.
8:53 a.m.: Birdies by Koepka and Rahm on the par-5 eighth hole keep them two shots apart, but pull them a little more away from the rest of the pack.
8:43 a.m.: And here's a quick leaderboard reset:
8:39 a.m.: The cold remains at Augusta Natioanl, but the rain appears to be over. Here's the weather forecast from Augusta:
8:33 a.m.: Horn blows to restart play. Leader Brooks Koepka is on the seventh green putting for par from 12 feet and missed it high right. That's his first bogey in 29 holes. Now Rahm stands over a seven-foot birdie try ... and makes it. And within three minutes Koepka's four-shot lead is now down to two.
8:14 a.m.: Players are ushered off the practice range and into vans to get them back into position for the 8:30 restart.
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