Jon Rahm once suggested whether an amateur could win The Masters if they started on every green

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Jon Rahm is a member of one of the most exclusive clubs in golf, with the Spaniard one of the players to have won The Masters at Augusta National.

The 2023 Masters saw Jon Rahm recover from a double bogey on his very first hole to go on and win by four shots from Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Rahm and Koepka had been tied for the lead from the opening round, with Viktor Hovland also joining them at the top of the leaderboard on Thursday after they all shot 65.

Of course, The Masters is unique as it is the one major in the men’s game which returns to the same course every single year. So it is no surprise that there has not been a player who has won on their debut at the event since 1979.

Experience is crucial around Augusta National, particularly when it comes to negotiating the rapid putting surfaces. Every golf fan can probably recall a moment when a world-class player has been made to look foolish on the greens with what initially appears to be a reasonable putt.

Jon Rahm suggests whether an amateur could win The Masters if they started on every green

It is hard to grasp for the large majority of people just how difficult putting at Augusta National must be, particularly in tournament conditions. It is always noted how the television cameras do not do justice to the severity of the slopes amongst the Georgia pines.

Following Rahm’s win in 2023, he was asked on the Fore Play Podcast whether he thinks an amateur could win The Masters if they hit their first shot on every hole from the green. And his answer was emphatic.

“Would I get to pick where the ball would be? No, no chance. I don’t think you realise, I had a four-putt and two three putts for the week and still won by four,” he said.

“You would putt it in the water more often than you think, I’m not even joking.

“I think people would be very surprised how high a score they would shoot. There’s literally a lot of pin positions in a year where the greens are firm and fast where we would have a very small chance of two-putting. That happens, that can happen.”

Jon Rahm’s incredible career record at The Masters

Based on Rahm’s record in his first six appearances at Augusta National, it seemed to be a matter of time before he joined the amazing list of Spanish players to win The Masters.

Rahm registered four top 10s in that run before going on to win in 2023. He joined Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia in winning the Green Jacket.

Interestingly, his worst ever Masters performance came the following year when he finished tied for 45th. And 2025 proved to be the first time that he registered back-to-back finishes outside the top 10 at The Masters.

But any player who has mastered Augusta National once in their career can always head down Magnolia Lane with some confidence about their chances in the coming days.

So it would be no surprise at all to see Rahm emulate Ballesteros and Olazabal by winning The Masters for a second time in the future.