Talking Golf With The Golf Guy Season Eight Episode Eight With Masters Champion-Jon Rahm
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Talking Golf With The Golf Guy Season Eight Episode Eight With Masters Champion-Jon Rahm

Legend has it that the late Seve Ballesteros, whose 66th birthday would have been this past Sunday, could get it up and down from the parking lot to save par

2023 Masters Champion, Jon Rahm, channeling his best Seve impersonation, did just that not once but twice on a rain-delayed, soggy Augusta National’s final day to claim the Green Jacket and become the first European Player to add both a Master’s title and the 2021 United States Open Championship to his trophy case.

Faltering Brooks Koepka and hard-charging 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who matched the tournament’s low round with a 65, tied for second.

Mickelson, at 52, the oldest Major Champion winner, is now the oldest runner-up in Masters history.

With a final round of 69, Rahm becomes the fourth Spaniard to win the coveted Silver Replica of the Master’s Clubhouse that is symbolic of the Master’s Winner, joining Ballesteros, Jose Marie Olazabal, and Sergio Garcia.

While winning his fourth tournament this year, Rahm reclaims the No. 1 world golf ranking from last year’s champion, Scottie Scheffler.

Sam Bennet, a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M and the reigning United States Amateur Champion opened with rounds of 68s to briefly flirt with the lead but faded on the weekend to finish-16 and claim low amateur honors.

In obvious discomfort in the cold and wet conditions, Tiger Woods eventually withdrew before the start of the third round after tying Gary Player and Fred Couples for most consecutive cuts made in Masters history.

The manufactured controversy surrounding PGA Tour players vs. LIV members was nothing.

From the Champions Dinner Tuesday night to socialization on the range and clubhouse, the eighteen members of LIV were there to play golf, and that’s what they did, with solid performances by both tours.

Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson tied for second, Patrick Reed tied for fourth with four rounds at par or better, as eight major champions finished among the top ten and ties.

Both organizations fared well for themselves playing in the same tournament as they continued headfirst down the road to resolution and compromise before their messy and inevitable day in court.

But the 2023 Masters Golf Tournament belonged to Jon Rahm, with a masterful performance on Sunday.

Much like his hero Severiano Ballesteros on the 40th anniversary of Seve winning his second Masters title, Rahm produced some remarkable saves in his round of 69, with his only bogey coming on number nine.

Rahm birdied the fourth hole from the trees by fading a low runner to eight feet and then getting up and down on eighteen to save par after missing both the fairway and the green.

A Seve par, he remarked later.

Jon Rahm is now halfway to the Grand Slam, joining Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and Phil Mickelson as the only three active players still in the hunt for that elusive prize, with the PGA Championship scheduled for Oak Hill Country Club in May.

I had the chance to listen to Masters Champion Jon Rahm’s final interview Sunday night.

Please Listen Here:

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Jeff Waters, MBA, is a PGA Master Professional and the President/CEO of Rocky Mountain Golf Enterprises, a Utah-licensed and registered corporation that uses golf as a marketing tool. With over fifty years of experience in the golf industry, Jeff has worn many hats in diverse roles, including as a player, teacher, Head Professional, administrator, and small business owner. Jeff's extensive background includes ten years as a competitive player, ten years as a Head Golf Professional, overseeing the entire golf course operation, three years as the Director of Player Development for Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, managing, directing, and supervising multiple golf course programs, and over thirty years as a golf coach and instructor at Rocky Mountain Golf Academy, teaching the game. His elite professional status as a fully trained and certified PGA Master Professional highlights his commitment to the sport. This prestigious designation is merited by a small and exclusive group of Golf Professionals worldwide. This wealth of experience in both the sport and business of golf has established Jeff as a highly skilled and knowledgeable expert and one of America's most qualified and accomplished Golf Professionals. In addition to his practical experience, Jeff has a robust academic background, including a BS in Political Science from the University of Utah, graduate studies in Economics and Commercial Recreation, at that school, and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He has also taught undergraduate courses at the University of Utah's College of Health and served as an adjunct professor at Granite Peaks Community School. As a well-known media personality, Jeff's versatility in the golf industry is evident through his work as a celebrated broadcast journalist and radio host. He has traveled extensively nationwide, announcing major sporting events at arenas, ballparks, stadiums, and golf courses for national media outlets and syndicated on the Rocky Mountain Golf Radio Network. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Jeff regularly contributes editorial pieces to national print publications and has authored multiple books, essays, and short stories. His work has appeared in numerous domestic and regional periodicals and magazines, such as Utah Golf News, Rocky Mountain Golfer, Golf Today, Utah Fairways, Jackson Hole Golf News, and Utah Golf Magazine. He has also contributed to blogs, podcasts, internet forums, and his website at www.jeffgolfguy.com. Jeff's unwavering dedication and service to the golf industry continue to inspire others, underscoring his deep commitment and affection for the sport, business, and recreation of golf.