“Jon Rahm made it look simple…he had the hammer and the velvet touch.” – Brandel Chamblee on Masters Champion Jon Rahm
“He was on the front foot. He knew when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em…it was a clinical display of golf.” – Paul McGinley on Rahm
“if you’re a fader, you don’t mind if you over-fade it. But if you hit a double-cross, this is a hard thing to put out of your mind for the rest of the day.” – Chamblee on Brooks Koepka
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 9, 2023 – GOLF Central Live From The Masters concluded its comprehensive coverage surrounding the 2023 Masters with post-round reaction and analysis on GOLF Channel and Peacock, as Jon Rahm captured his first green jacket with a final round 69 to win by four shots.
The Masters – Final Round Leaderboard
| Player | Total |
| Jon Rahm | -12 |
| Phil Mickelson | -8 |
| Brooks Koepka | -8 |
| Jordan Spieth | -7 |
| Patrick Reed | -7 |
| Russell Henley | -7 |
On Jon Rahm (-12, Champion)
Paul McGinley: “His golf dominated. Fourth in driving accuracy, third in greens in regulation, first in scrambling…he seized the moment. He seized the initiative. The way he played six through 12 was seizing the moment. He was on the front foot. He knew when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em…it was a clinical display of golf.”
Brandel Chamblee: “What he did on the second nine was clinical execution. It reminded me of another player who could anesthetize his competition…famous for red numbers and his red shirt on Sunday…Tiger Woods putting his opponents to sleep with his clinical execution…(his tee shot on 16) was the equivalent of Tom Brady hitting Gronk across the middle with a window two feet wide. Tom Brady makes it looks simple and Rahm made it look simple…the hammer and the velvet touch.”
McGinley: “He was helped as well. The three guys that were closest to him all shot well over par – Cantlay, Hovland and Koepka – the only guys that came really close to him were so far behind, they never really came close. As great as Rahm was, he never really had the pressure exerted on him.”
McGinley on Rahm joining Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia as Masters champions: “When I think of Spanish players, I think mercurial players who play with their instincts, have big hearts…every one of them is out of the same mold. They’re not scientists, they don’t play the game by numbers…Brandel’s not going to put those four swings up and say they’re brilliant prototypes of swings, but what they have is ownership. They understand them and they can play them in all types of directions. This is a game of repetition, not science.”
On Brooks Koepka (-8, T-2nd)
McGinley: “Brooks was dominant over the first two days, but Jack Nicklaus always said you had to make adjustments in this game and you had to make adjustments in these last two rounds. The game changed big-time, not just in terms of pressure but in terms of how the golf course played as the wind swung to the north, the golf course played longer…he only hit seven greens in regulation in the third round and that was the lowest total in the field. With the lead in the Masters, nine players historically have gone out with a two-shot lead and only four got the job done…it’s a difficult place to be and I don’t think Brooks was really on his game.”
Chamblee: “When he double-crossed himself in the third round on 12, on 14, to start the final round on No. 1…the mistake of hitting in the right bunker on No. 4…these were tactical errors and these were technical errors…if you’re a fader, you don’t mind if you over-fade it. But if you hit a double-cross, this is a hard thing to put out of your mind for the rest of the day. That’s lingering. It speaks to an issue he had to deal with…it’s tough to make up ground when you have that shot lingering in your head.”
On Phil Mickelson (-8, T-2nd)
Chamblee: “This place has a way of turning back the clock. It’s done it so many times…he’s been one of the greatest players of all-time. Won on the PGA TOUR as an amateur, won as a senior…Phil’s also done a lot of things that have made you scratch your head over the years, and that’s what makes him so interesting.”
McGinley: “I don’t know what to make of it. Who would have predicted this performance? This guy has played no good. Absolutely no good. Miles away…he had one good round last week…and over this weekend, he ignited. He hit more greens than anyone else in the field by two today. How do you figure that? I think you just put it down to the sheer genius that Phil Mickelson is…when he got the bit between his teeth today, he rained iron shots down on the flag one after the other…you’ve got to give him so much credit…I could feel out there listening to the crowd, changing from ‘I’m not sure I want to see him doing well,’ to by the end when he came off the 18th green, people saying, ‘You know what? Well done, Phil.’ And I certainly felt the same way.”
--NBC SPORTS--