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Jon Rahm nearly snaps driver during first round at The Masters

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•04/10/25
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Playing The Masters at Augusta National Golf Course requires extreme patience. And Jon Rahm had his tested early in his first round on Thursday afternoon.

So much so that he nearly snapped his driver after a wayward shot off the tee at Hole No. 9. Rahm immediately dropped the club behind his legs and kicked it up with his back heel as his ball sailed right into the pine straw.

He then picked up his club and began walking. As he did so, he lifted his driver up above his head and brought it down swiftly toward his knee, narrowly avoiding making contact and snapping the club in half. Clearly it was a moment of real frustration.

You can view the sequence below. The camera picks up a little late, right before Jon Rahm nearly snaps his club.

It was a rough start to the round for the Spaniard. He bogeyed No. 2, 4 and 7 on the front nine — while picking up a birdie on 3 — before making the turn.

Then, just as he headed into Amen Corner, Jon Rahm bogeyed Hole No. 10. That moved him to +3 over on his round, well off the current lead of -6 under by Justin Rose.

Fred Couples lands an eagle on Hole No. 14

While Jon Rahm was struggling in the early going, other golfers were having no such issue. Fred Couples wasted little time during his opening round creating some of that incredibly special atmosphere The Masters is famous for.

Approaching the green on Hole No. 14, Couples pulled out his hybrid. He had 191 to go to the pin, so he lined up his shot and gave it a rip.

His ball flight took him to the front of the green, where his ball bounced slightly and then began to roll toward the cup. Tantalizing. Testing. And eventually… a hole-in for eagle for Fred Couples! You can check out his eagle shot here.

Couples is off to a hot start at the Masters, too. He finished -1 under through his first round, placing him just five shots off the lead.

He’s had some success in recent years at Augusta, too, despite his age at 65. Fred Couples managed to make the cut in 2023, when he carded a 71 and a 74 in the opening two rounds. He’ll, of course, be looking to make another cut this weekend. Some of that might depend on how well some of the favorites play.