Masters talking points: Rahm the best, Woods puts himself through the ringer - again

Jon Rahm was crowned champion at the 87th Masters following a superb Sunday showing to seal a four-shot win and a first Green Jacket. We look at some of the main talking points from the season’s first major.

Rahm began his Masters with a four-putt for double bogey on the opening green, and started Sunday – there were 30 holes of the rain-affected tournament to play – four shots off a seemingly unstoppable Brooks Koepka. He concluded the event with a cruising victory, a second major championship in the locker and a return to world No 1.

Rahm was even placed on the bad side of the draw at Augusta, but did not let the adverse weather and numerous delays deter him. Throughout, he put on a ball-striking clinic, hitting 86 per cent of fairways and 72 per cent of greens in regulation. He putted beautifully. He displayed his ever-improving temperament. He won on what would have been his hero Seve Ballesteros’ birthday. Almost incredibly, it lifted Rahm to four PGA Tour victories this season; it’s only April.

Having come into the week with less fanfare than the other two members of golf’s current "Big Three" – Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler – Rahm separated himself from his rivals. It might be recency bias, but right now he feels definitely the best player in the world.

The moments when a dream becomes reality. #themasters pic.twitter.com/A0uBDsIrdz

OK, it is a small sample size, and by his own reckoning the Masters is the easiest major to win, but Koepka conjured some of the form of old. He won last week on the divisive – and albeit limited – LIV Tour, then rocked up to Augusta and held both the 36- and 54-hole leads. Yes, the final-round 75 was extremely disappointing, and he has more recently shown signs on major Sundays