At Augusta National, there is golf and there are rules. Even, as it turns out, for the Masters champ.
On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, Masters winner Jon Rahm joined the podcast to discuss with hosts Drew Stoltz and Colt Knost about his first-ever green jacket experience, including the moment that might have been the most nerve-wracking of his whole Masters Sunday: the Green Jacket ceremony rehearsal.
Now, not many golf fans know that before the green jacket winner reaches the post-tournament ceremony, he meets with Augusta National membership first to rehearse what is soon to come.
“They had me rehearse [the ceremony] with the people inside,” Rahm said. “I’m like, I’ve never thought of this in my life, right?”
Rahm said that after a brief wardrobe session, a team of green jackets walk the winner through what’s soon to come.
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“They have you try a few jackets on and all that, and then it’s like this is how you do this,” Rahm said. “This is pretty funny, they said the one rule that I had to remember is not to shake Scottie’s hands first. To go to the chairman first and then to him.”
Chairman first, then Scottie. Seems simple enough, right? Not so fast.
“The whole time I’m there thinking, like, don’t f— this up,” Rahm said with a laugh. “Then [we get to the ceremony] and I stand up and the first person I see is Scottie, even though he was trying to hide behind me.”
Fortunately, with the assist from Scheffler, Rahm remembered the proper handshake cadence, reaching out to club chairman Fred Ridley before turning to Scheffler. It’s a funny memory now, given it all worked out. And even funnier considering that Rahm would’ve been one of only a few dozen people to realize a mistake had been made in the first place.
“The funny thing is, if I would’ve done the wrong thing, nobody would’ve known.”
To hear the rest of his Subpar interview, check out the link below.