Masters 2026: Jon Rahm says he needs to make some changes 'preparation-wise' after second-worst Masters result
Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — After shooting a two-under 70 on Friday to make the cut on the number following an opening-round 78, former Masters winner Jon Rahm was asked if LIV prepares him to play in this tournament.
"Same as any other golf tournament in the world, yeah," the 2023 champ said.
He may have changed his opinion on that matter two days later, as the Spaniard finished with a one-over total following rounds of 73 and 68 on the weekend at Augusta National. His T-38 finish marks his second worst in this golf tournament in 10 tries, the worst being his T-45 the year after his victory. Both of those results have come post-LIV signing ahead of the 2024 season.
Rahm, who hit less than 60 percent of his greens this week, did not specifically point to the LIV schedule, or any of its venues, as the reason for his down week. But he did point to the fact he seemed underprepared for the firm and fast conditions.
"Definitely some things I'm going change going forward," Rahm said. "Preparation-wise and what to do. But it's hard to say how much I learned because I don't think we ever seen a Masters this firm and I don't know how long it's going to be until we do again. Both off the tee and on the greens."
The two-time major champion then got one more thing off his chest.
"Have you ever seen looking down the property how yellow the patron areas and how brown and purple parts of the greens and fairways are?" he said. "It will be a long time until we see it like this. Definitely have some things in mind for future editions where it gets to this level."
What things, Rahm did not expand on. All he added was that he learned exactly what not to do when Augusta plays the way it did this week.
MORE FROM GOLF DIGEST @ THE MASTERS
Masters 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
The prize money payout for each golfer at the 2026 Masters
50 defining Masters Moments, ranked
The most memorable Rules issues in Masters history
Has the Masters begun to lose a bit of its identity?
Every course change ever made at Augusta National
A brief history of Masters prize money payouts