America’s golfing community saw an upset for the ages when their contenders were left gasping for more in the 2023 Masters Tournament. John Rahm became the fourth Spanish ever to win the elusive Augusta Masters on Sunday. And he did so by staging an incredible comeback, dampening expectations all over the country. NFL punter and pundit Pat McAfee showed some humility in defeat.
The ex-Indianapolis Colts star and the host of the Pat McAfee Show on YouTube couldn’t help but appreciate Rahm’s greatness despite his victory coming at the expense of countryman Brooks Koepka falling behind.
Is Pat McAfee a Rahm fan?
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Rahm started the tournament on Thursday on a low after double-bogeying the first hole. However, he made an incredible comeback, shooting an opening-round 65 to get his hands on that coveted first Green Jacket. Rahm and Koepka went neck-to-neck, tied at 10-under in the final round. However, Brooks bogeyed in the sixth hole, and John stayed at 12- under par to be crowned the champion, his second major title this year after winning the US Open in 2021.
“Watching this big Spanish man golf all day has been an honor. The Masters of Golf is the f——g best. Congrats to John Rahm on a green jacket,” McAfee tweeted after the win.
Watching this big Spanish man golf all day has been an honor..
The Masters of Golf is the fucking best.
🗣🗣 CONGRATS TO @JonRahmpga on a Green Jacket pic.twitter.com/Wed3KI3WVy
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 9, 2023
This victory was especially memorable for Pat McAfee, who speculatively played a round or two at the Augusta National last month. This was courtesy of an invitation from his former Colts quarterback and NFL icon, Peyton Manning. However, according to Rahm, some NFL players had a significant hand in the Spaniard’s second Majors win.
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How NFL players almost cost Rahm the title
It’s possible that Arizona Cardinals tight end and ex-Philly Super Bowl champion Zach Ertz caused a major hiccup for Rahm that led to the poor start to the tournament for the now-world No. 1. Rahm described in his post-victory interview how ten minutes before John’s tee time, Ertz dropped a friendly and encouraging text. “That first green is looking like a walk in the park right now,” it said. However, it was anything but as Rahm “four-putted to start the tournament,” with Ertz’s words serving as the perfect jinx.
Former Cardinals teammate JJ Watt is also part of the chat group and the recently retired DE shared the screenshots of the text conversation. Zachary tweeted later, addressing the jinx. “I apologize for absolutely nothing! You can expect these texts for every major going forward, my friend. Congratulations,” he said as the Spaniard revels in the championship glory.
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