Imagine this: Jon Rahm, the man who won the 2023 Masters at Augusta, was recently confronted with a statistic that even made him marvel. Amen Corner, that notorious stretch at Augusta National, he averaged under par. His reaction? An incredulous "Really? Surprisingly good. I didn't know that!" – honestly, we love his laid-back response.
But the numbers don't lie: Rahm, captain of Legion XIII, with his Amen Corner average of 11.69 strokes (0.31 under par) in 36 Masters rounds, is one of the most savvy players on this stretch. Of the 91 golfers teeing it up this year, he's even the third best among the 41 veterans with 20+ rounds!
Amen Corner – A True Test
Only Xander Schauffele (11.63 in 30 rounds) and Sungjae Im (11.65 in 20 rounds) have an even better record. For comparison: Rory McIlroy is at 11.94, and Scottie Scheffler, the two-time champion, records 11.71. In total, 14 of the 41 experienced players are under par – including Bubba Watson (11.94), captain of RangeGoats GC, who has already secured the Green Jacket twice.
Masters History in Focus
When Rahm claimed victory in 2023, he played Amen Corner exceptionally well with 11.50 strokes. But his absolute best performance on holes 11, 12, and 13 came in 2019, when he finished 9th with an average of 10.75. No wonder the Spaniard extensively explained on Tuesday how he approaches each of these nerve-wracking holes. It remains to be seen if he can summon that top form again this year!
