Jon Rahm's immediate reaction to nightmare start at The Masters

Jon Rahm saw his hopes of a second green jacket take an immediate hit after a nightmare opening round at The Masters on Thursday.

Among the pre-tournament favourites at Augusta National Golf Club, the 2023 champion endured a hugely disappointing start, carding a 6-over-par 78 — the worst round of his Masters career and his first ever without a birdie since making his debut in 2017.

Rahm’s struggles were evident from the outset as he bogeyed the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th to slip over par early. 

His round unravelled further at the iconic par-5 13th, where he went long with an 8-iron into the azaleas on his second shot and walked away with a costly double-bogey seven.

The Spaniard now heads into Friday’s second round tied for 73rd and currently sits three shots outside the projected cut line, with only the top 50 and ties progressing to the weekend.

Rahm admitted afterwards that he never felt comfortable over the ball.

"It's a hard golf course," said Rahm.

"Some of the players might have been able to manage a respectable round, but when you have no feel with the swing whatsoever, it's just not an easy one."

Now facing a significant battle just to make the cut, Rahm is already looking to reset both physically and mentally ahead of round two.

"Hopefully now get some physio, get some dinner, get something positive going in that sense. Tomorrow is a new day," he added.

"It's going to be a very much more uphill battle right now, but I'm going to have to come out tomorrow and most likely post something in the 60s to have a chance to make the cut and give myself a chance on the weekend."

The 31-year-old acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead, particularly after recording his highest ever score in 38 rounds at Augusta.

"I've done that a few times," said Rahm, of slow starts in the majors, and being able to quickly bounce back. 

"But it still sucks to be in this position, to need a Herculean effort the next two days to give myself a chance to maybe sniff having a chance to win. It's just frustrating."

Despite the setback, Rahm can draw on recent experience. He opened with a 75 at last year’s Masters before recovering with rounds of 71, 70 and 69 to finish tied 14th — proof that a fightback is not entirely out of reach, even if the task this time appears steeper.

Rahm’s struggles came despite arriving in strong form from the LIV Golf League, where he had been widely tipped as a leading contender.

Rahm was also not alone in enduring a difficult start among the LIV contingent. 

Bryson DeChambeau, another pre-tournament favourite, opened with a 4-over 76 — his 10th round of 75 or worse at Augusta.

DeChambeau cut a frustrated figure in his post-round interview with reporters. 

In fact, none of the 10 LIV players in the field managed to break par on day one, with Sergio Garcia the highest-placed among them after a level-par 72.