Jon Rahm faces unexpected collapse at the Masters in Augusta.

Jon Rahm, star of LIV Golf and champion of the Masters in 2023, is facing one of the darkest moments of his career at the legendary Augusta National. His first round at the 2026 Masters was a true nightmare: 6 strokes over par, a total of 78 shots, without a single birdie or eagle, and a desperate position in 73rd place on the leaderboard. This performance marks Rahm’s worst result in 37 rounds played on this mythical course, a fact that undermines any expectations for the Spaniard in this edition.

The start could not have been worse: a bogey right on the first hole, followed by three more bogeys in the first half of the course. On the par-5 13th hole, Rahm suffered a double bogey that sealed his worst display at Augusta. Interestingly, this pattern of difficulties at the start of the tournament is not new for the player, who last year also recorded five bogeys in the first 11 holes, although he managed to recover with two birdies and finished in 14th place.

With a brilliant start to the season in LIV Golf, where he secured a second place in Riyadh and Adelaide, a victory in Hong Kong, a fifth place in Singapore, and another second place in the circuit’s debut in South Africa, his fall at the Masters surprised and disappointed many fans. However, Rahm knows that Augusta is a brutal challenge: “It’s a very difficult course,” he admitted after the first day. “Some players can manage a respectable round, but when you don’t have the feeling for the swing, it becomes almost impossible. It’s frustrating to be in this position, needing a herculean effort over the next two days to give myself a small chance of victory.”

Golf experts, such as Eamon Lynch, did not hold back in their criticism of the Spaniard, suggesting that his mind is more concerned with external issues, namely his eligibility for the Ryder Cup, than with his performance at the Masters. Lynch accuses Rahm of bringing a “distraction” narrative to Augusta, due to ongoing negotiations regarding fines and participation minimums in the DP World Tour, connections that affect his image and concentration. “This is the third time since he won the Masters that he shows up here with a story that only he creates. His focus is divided, and that weighs on his performance,” Lynch stated, going further to say that the switch to the Saudi LIV Golf league has indeed harmed his game.

Despite the disaster in the first round, Augusta National is famous for unexpected turnarounds. Jon Rahm still has the opportunity to turn his performance around and secure a spot for the weekend, but for that, he needs an impressive turnaround in the second round. The pressure is high, and the Spaniard will have to overcome not only the course but also his own doubts and the ghosts that accompany him at this delicate moment in his career. The question that lingers is: will Rahm be able to rise from this historic collapse and prove that he is still one of the biggest names in world golf?

This article first appeared on Apito Final.