How Rahm approaches Amen Corner, the key back-nine stretch at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Informed on Tuesday that he has played Augusta National’s famed Amen Corner under par, Jon Rahm responded with a look of disbelief. 

“I am?” he asked. “Surprising. That’s good. I didn’t know.” 

In fact, of the 91 players in this week’s Masters field, the Legion XIII captain is one of the most accomplished performers through the treacherous par-4 11th, par-3 12th and par-5 13th, a key stretch that often decides who slips on the green jacket each April. 

RELATED: Tee times | Power Rankings | Why Rahm or Bryson will win 

Rahm’s Amen Corner stroke average of 11.69 (0.31 under par) in 36 career rounds at the Masters is the third-best among the 41 veterans competing this week with 20 or more rounds. Only Xander Schauffele (11.63 in 30 rounds) and Sungjae Im (11.65 in 20 rounds) have better averages. For comparison’s sake, defending champion Rory McIlroy’s Amen Corner average is 11.94 while two-time champ Scottie Scheffler is at 11.71. 

Of those 41 players, 14 have averages under par, a list that also includes two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson (11.94), the RangeGoats GC captain. 

When Rahm won the Masters in 2023, he played Amen Corner in 11.50, but his best single-tournament performance came in 2019 (10.75) when he tied for ninth. 

Rahm provided a detailed explanation Tuesday on how he approaches each of the Amen Corner holes.

The 520-yard 11th 

Rahm has made just four birdies there in his 36 rounds, none in his last 27 trips going into Thursday’s opening round. He has a career average of 4.06 on the hole.

“I've played good in the past,” he said of the 11th. “You get to the tee, you hit driver as hard as you possibly can. I think we all have a very similar strategy. We all aim basically at the right edge of the back bunker, try to hit on that middle third of the green on the wider side. 

“If you happen to pull a little bit, you have plenty of room to hopefully miss it on the green. Then if you miss right, you can always try to get up-and-down and at worst make a 5.

“I don't think I've ever gone flag-hunting to any pin that is on the left side unless it was a year when it was downwind and you find yourself with a short iron where you can actually be aggressive. Most of the time, it's 6-, 5-, 4-iron, and you're just hoping to hit the green.” 

The 155-yard 12th  

Rahm has made par in his last 10 rounds, and 18 of his last 20. He’s made two double-bogeys there – one in his Masters debut in 2017 and another in the final round in 2020 when the Masters was played in November during the Covid year. He has a career average of 3.11 on the hole.

“No. 1, be on land,” Rahm explained. “No. 2, hopefully it's on the green. If not, let's try to make it up-and-down.

“I think early on in my first years in the Masters, I tried to be more aggressive than I needed to. Now it's hit the middle of the green, two-putt, move on. It's pretty simple. I'm pretty confident when I say I'm over-par on that hole.”

The 545-yard 13th 

Rahm’s 15 career birdies match his most on any hole at Augusta National, but he has just two birdies in his last eight rounds. In 2024, he made four pars, the only time he’s played the Masters without making at least one birdie at the 13th. He’s made just two bogeys there – one of those coming in the third round in 2023, the day before winning the Masters; that was also the first year after the hole was lengthened by 35 yards. His two career eagles on the hole came in 2017 (final round) and 2019 (third round). He has a career average of 4.53. 

“Being a par 5, obviously you want to start off with a good tee shot,” Rahm said. “Obviously a lot more challenging now with the distance to give yourself the right shot into the green. What a lot of people don't know with this added number is even if you hit a draw down the left, if you don't hit it far enough, those tree branches are still in your way. So, you can't really go for it as you hit a big draw into not the widest green. 

“If you're drawing it too much right to left, if you land it in the middle, you can still miss the green left, and it just becomes a tricky shot. … [Just] try to be aggressive off the tee. If not, you can still leave yourself a wedge shot to try and make a birdie.”

Rahm will enter this week in terrific form as he eyes his second Masters title. Through his first five LIV Golf tournaments this season, he has one win (Hong Kong), three solo seconds and a solo fifth, and he leads the season-long points race as he chases his third consecutive Individual Championship.

Of his 20 LIV Golf rounds played this season, he’s been in the top 5 on the leaderboard 19 times, a display of his impressive consistency throughout each start. 

The last time he entered the Masters with a win already in his pocket in the previous three months came in 2023 when he won three times in seven starts. But even that year, his immediate form coming into Augusta National wasn’t great, with a T39 at Bay Hill, a WD at The Players and an early knockout after the group stage at the Match Play Championship. 

He said LIV Golf’s extended offseason allowed him to correct some issues, particularly with his takeaway that was leaving his ball farther left than desired for his patented fades. The results of his hard work have certainly paid off. 

“Over the three months, I could definitely think about what I thought I could improve on, what my swing felt like throughout the year and what needed to change, and still working on it,” he said. “I think I got into some bad habits for a couple of years that I was able to maneuver around, even around the time when I won here in '23 that I'm still trying to work out of. In those three months I did a lot of good work, and I think that set the base for how I've played this year.” 

Top image: Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm plays a shot from the No. 12 tee during a practice round prior to the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Tuesday, April 07, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National Golf Club)