Were you even par in spotting the 18 things wrong in the photograph featured in the “A Tradition (Definitely) Unlike Any Other” piece in GOLF Magazine’s 2024 Masters Preview package? To catch some of the oddities in our doctored image of Jon Rahm’s victory celebration at the 2023 Masters, you’d have to be pretty Augusta National-savvy. To catch other mistakes, even borderline eyesight would have got the job done. Here’s a list of the big (and small) misses in the pic. (And if you don’t get the magazine, you can subscribe here.)
1. Jon Rahm’s ecstatic moment took place, naturally, on the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club, so the club he had in his hand was a putter, not the driver you see here.
2, 3, 4 and 5. In our tricked-out pic, Rahm’s caddie, Adam Hayes, is in violation of some very basic caddie rules at ANGC: the red hat is a no-no. The Dunkin ad on his coveralls? Fuggedaboudit. Also, the flagstick he’s carrying is missing the Masters logo. The green-jacketed Augusta member nearby would appear to be in the act of busting Hayes, but…no cellphones are allowed on the property during the tournament.
6 and 7. Before he joined LIV, Rahm was passionate about extending the traditions and history of the PGA Tour, a competitive spirit epitomized by the play of the game’s legends. Even so, Rahm, born decades after Arnold Palmer’s heyday, would never have known the pleasure of a final-round pairing with the King, who, it’s certain, would not have been sporting hipster Nike footwear.
8 and 9. Two more things you’d never see at the Masters: a crass placard promoting a fast-food behemoth and an industrious spectator of the tree-hugging kind.
10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. The bro in the baggy denim has one thing right — he’s outside the ropes — but he’d have been shown the door because no jeans are allowed on ANGC grounds. The woman in the floral jumpsuit is appropriately attired but, unacceptably, inside the ropes. As cofounder of the Masters, Bobby Jones would surely have leaned into the action at the 2023 event — had he not died in 1971. But the eagle-eyed Jones would have been the first to notice a second flag on the 18th green — and the fugitive pooch.
15, 16, 17 and 18. If all eyes were on this leaderboard at the 2023 Masters, there’d have been some head scratching. First, there is no leaderboard behind Augusta National’s 18th green; second, there’s a MASTER misspelling (and the word LEADERS tops ANGC’s leaderboards, not MASTERS); and third, the characters from “Caddyshack” seem to have been uncharacteristically competitive at the event. No wonder the leaderboard attendant was hung out to dry.
19. If you can spot the 19th thing wrong with our manipulated pic — and there is a 19th thing amiss — we’d suggest you apply for a spotter’s gig at the 2024 Masters Tournament.
