It’s worth noting right off the bat that what Jon Rahm did Tuesday at Augusta National has been done before. At least a couple of other competitors practicing for the Masters have managed to skip a ball across the pond at the 16th hole and nestle it into the cup.
There’s no need to be a killjoy about any of this, though. Rahm’s successful trick shot was majestic, masterful and mesmerizing.
That’s one 4-iron, three hops off the water, a few more up the embankment and onto the green, and then a gorgeous, counterclockwise sweep into the cup. It wasn’t even the first practice-round hole-in-one this week for Rahm, who used a 5-iron at the fourth hole Monday to drain that ace.
“The craziest thing. The second hole-in-one of the week,” said Rahm, the world’s second-ranked player. “It could go two ways, right? Something special going on, or I’m just running out of luck already. So I don’t know. I knew it would be a special week given it’s my birthday today, so I’m hoping it’s the beginning of a lot of good things to come.”
Rahm turned 26 on Tuesday, and his enormous skill and some good fortune combined to give him quite the present. Now he’s hoping to earn a green jacket in what would be the Spaniard’s first win at a major.
