Jon Rahm can join Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as a back-to-back winner of The Masters; Rahm claimed a four-shot victory over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson in last year's contest; Spaniard is one of 13 LIV Golf League players in action at Augusta National
Tuesday 9 April 2024 10:54, UK
Sir Nick Faldo has questioned whether Jon Rahm will have the intensity to join an illustrious club and successfully defend his title at The Masters this week.
Rahm became the fourth Spanish winner in Masters history with his victory last April, when a final-round 69 saw him finish four shots ahead of Brooks Koepka and six-time major winner Phil Mickelson.
Koepka went on to win the PGA Championship a month later, with all three players now featuring in the LIV Golf League after Rahm made the switch from the PGA Tour ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Rahm last featured on the PGA Tour at August's Tour Championship and hasn't played on the DP World Tour since the DP World Tour Championship in November, with Faldo wondering whether the lack of 72-hole preparation will hamper the former world No 1's chances.
"I think he feels that [lack of intensity]," Faldo told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. "I know that he made comments about watching Riviera [Genesis Invitational] and thought he wished he was there.
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"I thought The Players was good and I bet he wished he was in there. He has been playing resort courses in shorts for the past couple of months and hasn't really been tested yet.
"He's a hell of a player, but he's going to have to make a little bit of effort to step it up and get the right intensity. Whether coming into defend you can do it, or whether he's just not quite sharp enough because he hasn't tested himself quite as much, we'll have to wait and see.
"I wish him all the best but I hope the [back-to-back winners] club stays at three!"
Scottie Scheffler is the overwhelming favourite to win The Masters for a second time in three years, having extended his advantage at the top of the world rankings with victories at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players last month.
Scheffler also finished runner-up at the Texas Children's Houston Open in his last start, although Faldo remains unconvinced that the world No 1 will go on to win the Green Jacket this week.
"Everyone's screaming that he [Scheffler] is the favourite, but I'm not so sure," Faldo added. "He has got to deal with that, and a lot of things have got to go right.
"I think it's just a mental thing, as everyone gets hyped up at majors. If you're good enough to take the majors down a couple of notches, so you're back to normal, I think that that's what he can do. I think that's his main strength.
"I was looking at stats and I've got a feeling it could be a 'second-tier' guy [who wins]. You've got a dozen or so obvious names and then I think it could be a person from outside of that - someone playing well enough. But it's a whole new world trying to win your first Green Jacket."
Faldo joins regular host Josh Antmann to reflect on his three Masters victories, including his dramatic play-off success over Scott Hoch in 1989 for the first of successive titles at Augusta National.
The six-time major champion looks at Rory McIlroy's chances of completing the Grand Slam and what he has struggled with in his game so far this season on the PGA Tour, plus discusses some of the potential contenders for a surprise major success at The Masters.
Download and listen to the latest Sky Sports Golf podcast and don't forget to subscribe via Spotify, Spreaker or Apple Podcasts! If you'd like to contact the podcast, then you can email at golf@skysports.com.
Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins at 2pm over the first two rounds on Thursday April 11 and Friday April 12, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available to enjoy on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
There will be lots of extra action throughout all four days via the red button on Sky Sports Golf, along with Sky Q and Sky Glass, providing plenty of bonus feeds and allowing you to follow players' progress through various parts of Augusta's famous layout.
The notorious Amen Corner stream will also be available and focuses on the famous three-hole stretch from the 11th, while a feed of the fourth, fifth and sixth holes will go live each day as soon as the opening group reach that part of the course.
Another stream covering the 15th and 16th hole is also available for every round, while extended coverage of the weekend action begins at both 3pm on both Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 14.
Sky Sports Golf will show build-up content and occasional live updates from the course before the global broadcast window starts at 8pm for the third round and 7pm for the final day, with early action available throughout via the red button.
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