Spain's Jon Rahm celebrates on the 18th green after winning The Masters at Augusta National. Reuters
Spain's Jon Rahm celebrates on the 18th green after winning The Masters at Augusta National. Reuters
Spain's Jon Rahm celebrates on the 18th green after winning The Masters at Augusta National. Reuters
Spain's Jon Rahm celebrates on the 18th green after winning The Masters at Augusta National. Reuters

Jon Rahm wins second major title with Masters 2023 victory at Augusta National


Marwa Hassan
  • English
  • Arabic

Spanish golfer Jon Rahm secured his second major title, winning the 87th Masters at Augusta National by a four-shot margin over LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson on Sunday.

Starting the day two shots behind Koepka, Rahm played in the final pairing and scored a three-under-par 69, finishing the week at 12 under.

Meanwhile, five-time winner Tiger Woods withdrew from the Masters before the third round's resumption on Sunday because of injury.

After the delayed second round, Woods had made a record-equalling 23rd consecutive halfway cut at Augusta National on Saturday.

But he struggled in the first seven holes of his third round, scoring six over par, resulting in his withdrawal.

On the resumption of play, Rahm quickly closed the gap to Koepka's four-shot lead.

Koepka failed to sink the par putt on the seventh green, while Rahm successfully converted his birdie attempt from three metres.

The pair each birdied the par-five eighth, but Rahm saved par from a greenside bunker on the ninth, maintaining a two-shot deficit.

In what appeared to be a duel between Rahm and Koepka, amateur Sam Bennett and Patrick Cantlay were tied for third place on six under, five shots behind Rahm.

US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick trailed by one stroke after scoring a bogey on the 12th and a birdie on the par-five 13th.

A detail view of the leaderboard on the 18th green during the final round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Getty Images via AFP
A detail view of the leaderboard on the 18th green during the final round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Getty Images via AFP

Koepka and Rahm both missed the green on the par-three 12th due to challenging wind.

Rahm managed a fortunate bounce and two-putted for par, while Koepka three-putted from long range, cutting his lead to a single shot.

Rahm's putting was on point as play resumed, but he overshot a long birdie attempt on the par-five 13th and missed the return.

Norwegian golfer Viktor Hovland seemed out of contention after bogeying the 10th hole, falling to three under.

But he bounced back with five consecutive birdies, closing within two shots of Rahm and four behind Koepka.

Koepka narrowly avoided disaster on the 15th hole when his third shot spun back off the green but stopped short of rolling into the water.

Rahm three-putted from almost 30 metres on the par-five hole, and then bogeyed the 16th, falling three shots behind Koepka.

Koepka also three-putted on the 17th, and a par on the 18th allowed him to retain a two-shot lead over Rahm heading into the final round.

Hovland's eventful round of 70 left him just one shot behind Rahm on eight under, with Patrick Cantlay one stroke further back.

Spain's Jon Rahm celebrates with wife Kelley and son Kepa after winning The Masters. Reuters
Spain's Jon Rahm celebrates with wife Kelley and son Kepa after winning The Masters. Reuters

The final round saw Koepka and Rahm start nervously, with Koepka's pulled tee shot forcing him to play his second shot from the ninth fairway.

He managed a superb approach over the pine trees, securing a par with a long-range two-putt. Rahm's chip from the right of the green nearly holed out, but he managed to sink the par putt from eight feet.

Rahm closed in on Koepka, sinking a curling birdie putt from three metres on the third hole.

Hovland remained eight under after four straight pars, with American Russell Henley one stroke behind after birdies on the second and third holes.

Koepka was unable to save par from a greenside bunker on the par-three fourth, dropping back to tie with Rahm on 10 under. Koepka then lost another shot on the par-three sixth, leaving Rahm in the outright lead.

Former champion Jordan Spieth moved into a tie for third on six under, with the 2015 winner carding his seventh birdie of the day on the 14th.

Rahm extended his lead with a birdie on the par-five eighth, hitting a brilliant pitch from the front of the green to tap-in distance.

Spieth two-putted the 15th for another birdie to reach seven under, while playing partner Phil Mickelson also picked up a shot on the par-five hole to join an increasing group on six under.

Spieth and Mickelson both birdied the 17th, and although Spieth dropped a shot on the last, Mickelson completed his round with a remarkable 65, setting the clubhouse target at eight under par.

Rahm dropped back to 10 under after a bogey on the ninth, while Koepka remained at eight under after a crucial par save on the 10th after a wayward drive.

Mickelson expressed gratitude for being part of the tournament and competing well after taking a break from golf last year due to controversial comments about the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League.

Rahm and Koepka both managed birdies from off the 13th green, giving Rahm a three-shot lead over Koepka and Mickelson with five holes left.

Rahm extended his lead to four shots over Mickelson after a stunning approach on the 14th set up another birdie, while Koepka fell five shots behind after a three-putt bogey.

As the end of the tournament approached, Rahm's wife and sons, along with two-time Masters champion Jose Maria Olazabal, gathered around the 18th green to witness Rahm's victory.

The win was especially poignant, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the late Seve Ballesteros' second Masters win and what would have been his 66th birthday. Some victories are simply meant to be.

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):

Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: CVT

Power: 170bhp

Torque: 220Nm

Price: Dh98,900

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright

Short-term let permits explained

Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.

Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.

There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.

Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA

Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600

Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

Trippier bio

Date of birth September 19, 1990

Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom

Age 26

Height 1.74 metres

Nationality England

Position Right-back

Foot Right

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
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Updated: April 10, 2023, 5:44 AM`