Jon Rahm’s poor putting ruins his quest for Masters repeat

AUGUSTꦍA, Ga. — This was n🌠ot the green jacket defense Jon Rahm had in mind.

The 29-year-old Spaniard, who’s on the LIV Golf tour, followed up his 2⭕023 Masters victory with an unmemorable 9-over-par finish this week.

“There’s a lot of things that contributed to me not having my best week, and one of them I think was obviously on the greens,” Rahm said. “I never really had the pace✱ of the greens, and a couple too many three-putts.’’

Rahm had a stunning eight three-putts in his four rounds and had a t♓otal of 130 pu🅷tts for the tournament.

It’s impossible to win a Masters with 𝔉ওthose numbers.

Asked what this week meant to him as the def🍎ending champion and hosting the champion’s dinner Tuesday night, Rahm sounded wistful.

“It’s harder to talk about it when I’ve played this bad,’’ he said. “It’s been nice to have some receptions walking up to some tee🅷s no matter what my score was and seeing the appreciation. But when you don’t have your best week, it’s hard to have to stay now to put the jacket on somebody else [when I] never really ever have a chance.’’

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Rory McIlroy has now played 16 career Master♑s without a win.

This week was his 10th Masters since it became the last leg of the𓆉 car𓆏eer Grand Slam he needs to become the sixth player ever to complete it.

And on Sunday, he again went ho🎉me empty-handed, never having been in cꦐontention.

He shot 73 on Sunday and finished 4-over for the 🌊tournament.

“I don’t reaꦐlly know what to say,’’ McIlroy said afterward. “I just sort of felt like my game was OK and managed it pretty well, but obviously Friday was a really tough day, and losing five shots sort of put me in a pretty difficult position going into the weekend. Once you get seven or eight back going into the weekend here, it’s hard to make up that ground.’’

He said he needs “to take aꦗ little bit of time and reflect on this week and what I did well, what I didn’t do so well, and sort of try to make a plan for the next few months.’’

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What a week for Neal Shipley, the 22-year-old Pittsburgh native, who played college golf at James Madis🧸on and is now a grad student at Ohio State.

He ꩲwas the only amateur to make the cut, which assured him as the lo🥀w.

And he was paireꦍd with Tiger Woods in Sunday’s final round.

“Playing with Tiger, Sunday at the Masters, the whole week, I thi🌼nk I have to win one of these things to kind of top this week,’’ Shipley said after shooting a 73 on Sunday to finish 1🧸2-over for the week. “Definitely been a dream week, but looking forward to being out here [as a pro] soon hopefully.’’

Shipley earned a spot in the field this week as the U.S. Amateur runner-up last ye﷽ar. He’s gone from little-known college golfer to a week like t𒉰his.

“It’s certain🍌ly been quite the journey,’’ he said.

Shipley shot 80 in the third round Saturday,🦩 which ༒he said, “Is never fun.’’

“I wasn’t too plea𝓀sed after the round,’’ he went on. “We went quickly to the pr💫actice facility to get some work in and my caddie came up to me and said, ‘Hey, guess who we are going to be paired with tomorrow?’

“I was just like, ‘No way it’s Tiger.’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I got pretty excited, and that’s when the emotions turned around. I wasn’t too nervous, but when we got here this morning and saw Tiger on the range, it was like, ‘Oh, my goওsh, this is actually happening.’

“I defini🦋tely think it’s one of my more relaxed rounds of the week. Tiger made me feel really welcomed. I mean, he was cool, chatting it up. Just kind of a cool, like, casual round with Tiger, you know, other than you’re here at the Masters.’’

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Three-time green jacket winner Phil Mickelson, at age 53, closed out his 31st Masters shoo🌃ting a 2-over🍌 74 to finish 8-over for the week.

Mickelson ꦯhas now made 101꧟ cuts in major championships, the third most in the history of the game behind only Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

“If you’re going to contend on the weekend, you’ve got to get there,’’ Mickelson said. “That’s part of the battle. There’s no reason why I cannot get back and play at a really high♕ level. I didn’t shoot t✨he scores this week, but it wasn’t that far off.’’

Shane Lowry was paired with Mickelson and marv♐eled at the skills he still possesses.

“I love playing golf with Phil,” Lowry said. “He hit some shots that I’m kind of right there enjoying as a spectator more than anything else. When I saw the draw last night, I was ꦐexcited to go out and pl𒁏ay a Masters Sunday with him.

“He lived up to his name. He hit some unbelievable shots. He hit a shot from over in the trees on the 8th hole I 🐬think only he would go for, let alone pull off, but it was good fun.”