After inclement weather, falling trees, and back-and-forth battles, Jon Rahm emerged victorious at the 87th Masters. 

Entering the final round trailing then-first place Brooks Koepka by two strokes, Rahm faced an uphill battle. With tournament veterans Phil Mickleson and Jordan Speith closing the gap, the pressure was on to elevate his game. 

Throughout the final round, Rahm capitalized on his partner’s sputtering performance. Koepka, having gone four over par over the last 16 holes, bogeyed on the par-3 sixth hole, allowing Rahm to grab sole possession of first place. After a birdie on the par-5 eighth hole vs. Koepka’s par and subsequent bogie on the ninth, Rahm headed into the back nine with a two stroke lead over second place Koepka and Speith. 

Rahm played it safe in the second half of the round, forcing Koepka to play catch up for the remaining nine. After bogeys on the 14th and 17th, Koepka failed to regain the lead and finished the round with a score of 75, tying Mickelson for second place in the tournament with a total score of -8. Speith, Patrick Reed, and Russell Henley followed closely, all finishing with a score of -7. Rahm completed the comeback, finishing the round with just 69 strokes and a tournament-best score of -12, making him the winner of the 87th edition of the Masters. 

Amid the emergence of the controversial LIV golf tour ‒ which had 12 members complete all 72 holes at the Masters ‒ Rahm represented the PGA with the best score in the tournament. However, strong performances from LIV golfers ‒ including two second place finishes from Koepka and Mickleson ‒ kept the Saudi-backed tour in the spotlight, as all eyes were on the new members as they made their first appearance at Augusta since joining the tour. While this strong debut could lead to greater success from LIV golfers in future majors, the PGA and Jon Rahm will celebrate their victory at the 2023 Masters.