"They had me rehearse it"- Jon Rahm reveals the secret behind the flawless jacket exchange at the Masters
Jon Rahm finally walked out of the historic Augusta field in a green jacket. The Spaniard was awarded the Masters jacket by last year's champion Scottie Scheffler. The ceremony was carried out flawlessly as if they had practiced it before.
Speaking on Golf's Subpar podcast, Jon Rahm unveiled unsung secrets from behind the screen at the Masters. The 28-year-old revealed that he rehearsed the jacket exchange moments before it finally took place in public.
Rahm said:
"Not Scottie but they had me rehearse it with the people outside and like with, What arm do you like first? I'm like.... I've never thought of this in my life. They have you try a few jackets on and then how do you do this? I guess I do left first this and that and then they tell Scottie.
"It's pretty funny how it goes. The one rule I had to remember was like, 'Do not shake Scottie's hand first.' Do the chairman! And the whole time I'm there thinking, 'Don't f**k this up.' Because Scottie did it and the first person I see Scottie, even though he was trying to kind of hide behind me and walk off."
Jon Rahm bagged his second major and first Masters on April 9. He became the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters tournament.
“It’s complicated"- Jon Rahm on Augusta's rule
On Golf's Subpar podcast, Jon Rahm also talked about the complicated rules of the Augusta tournament. Augusta has its own set of rules that need to be followed by golfers competing in the tournament.
Jon Rahm revealed that it's difficult to understand all the rules of the tournament. He said:
“I don’t know all the rules, but there’s a dress code that comes with it. You learn about this quickly when you have to sign documents and things about what you are doing.
“Obviously, we all know the rules around Augusta National, right? And they tell you, you are representing Augusta National and the jacket is Augusta National. The least you can wear is golf attire, that’s the worst dress code you can have, so no jeans, no shorts."
Rahm also confessed that before appearing in his green jacket on podcasts or shows, he needed approval from the officials. Adding to his statement, the golfer said:
“It’s complicated. You can’t have a public appearance. Not you, the jacket can’t make a public appearance without them knowing. They don’t like to be surprised so they need to give approval for everything. I can’t be photographed with the jacket and having alcohol. It just goes on and on.”
Jon Rahm finally took a break from playing at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans dating back to the beginning of 2023. However, he will return to play next week at the Mexico Open, which is scheduled to take place from April 27 to April 30.
Jon Rahm had only missed the Players Championship this year due to illness, before featuring in back-to-back PGA Tour events.