Rahm on second Masters: Weren't many downs

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jon Rahm summed up his second Masters appearance perfectly when he said, “there weren’t many downs.”

If there was one it would’ve been a first-round 75 that put him too far behind the leaders. But he rebounded with 68-65-69 over the next three days to vault up the leaderboard, had a legitimate chance to win a green jacket, and ultimately finished in fourth place, four shots behind Patrick Reed.

Late in the final round, after birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, Rahm pulled within two shots of Reed with the par-5 15^th hole still to play. His second shot on the hole landed on the bank of the green and rolled back into the water. He failed to get up and down for par, made bogey, and his chance to win his first major was over.

“Besides that I think I handled myself really well,” Rahm, 23, said. “I played good golf, gave myself plenty of opportunities. I wish I would have made a couple more putts, but it is what it is. It’s hard to win a major championship.”

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In Rahm’s five major starts as a professional, his best finish was a 27^th-place tie at Augusta National last year. No other major finish has been higher than a 44th-place tie.

“I loved the situation, I loved the hunt,” Rahm said. “Hopefully, next time I go into the back nine in a major I’m the one in the lead and get to experience that. But hopefully I have proved to myself that I learn fast and I keep learning and learning.”