Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy experienced extremely contrasting emotions on day one of The Masters at Augusta National.
Rahm carded an opening round 78 on Thursday at The Masters, a score which left him 11 shots adrift of the first-round leader, Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman was in fine form at Augusta National, carding six birdies and a solitary bogey to post an impressive round of 67.
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McIlroy entered The Masters this week without the pressure he has carried on his shoulders in previous years at Augusta.
And he looked completely freed up as he posted a superb opening round of five-under-par. In fact, the man from Holywood, Northern Ireland, made it look very easy.
Conversely, Rahm struggled to find any kind of rhythm throughout the round.
The 31-year-old Spaniard looked like a shadow of the player we have seen perform extremely well on LIV Golf so far this year.
Rahm’s disastrous opening round at The Masters has left him with so much work to do just to make the cut.
However, the Spaniard should be praised for what he did immediately after his round at Augusta National.
Jon Rahm shows Rory McIlroy the way with his actions at The Masters
The LIV Golf star carded four bogeys, a double bogey and 13 pars during his miserable opening round on Thursday at Augusta National.
It’s fair to say that he almost definitely doesn’t have a chance of winning The Masters for a second time now.
However, Rahm showed his class by fronting up to the media after his round, and he deserves huge credit for that.
When asked to explain what happened during his round of 78, he offered a fairly positive response, all things considered.
“It’s a hard golf course,“ the 31-year-old from Spain admitted after his opening round.
“Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it’s just not an easy one. What will I do?
“Hopefully get some physio, get some dinner, get something positive going in that sense. Tomorrow is a new day.
“It’s going to be much more of an uphill battle right now, but I’m going to have to come out tomorrow and most likely post something in the 60s to have a chance to make the cut and give myself a chance on the weekend.“
A classy move indeed from Rahm.
And without being too harsh, McIlroy would be well-served to learn a thing or two from his Ryder Cup teammate.
Rory McIlroy must learn from Jon Rahm’s behavior at Augusta
McIlroy caused a fair bit of controversy in 2025 with his actions following all four rounds at the PGA Championship and then the first two at the U.S. Open.
After winning The Masters, the Northern Irishman really struggled with motivation after doing what he described as climbing his very own Mount Everest.
McIlroy was angry when his name was leaked to the press after his driver was deemed to be non-conforming ahead of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.
What did you think of Rory McIlroy’s round one at The Masters?
In response to that, the five-time major champion refused to speak to the press after six straight major rounds.
McIlroy was angry that his name had been leaked to the press while others were kept anonymous.
The thing is, McIlroy played really poorly at the PGA Championship and he was well off his game during the first couple of rounds at the U.S Open as well.
It’s fair to argue that the Northern Irishman used his beef with the media as an excuse to duck out of speaking to the press after playing so poorly.
Would he have avoided media duties if he had shot rounds in the 60s during those two major championships? Probably not.
Rory McIlroy should learn from what Jon Rahm did on Thursday at The Masters because, after all, golf is a game built on integrity and honor.
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