Jon Rahm stands out as Masters favorite as Augusta adjusts to post-Tiger world

Jon Rahm arrives at Augusta National with the Masters once again tilted toward him, and the conversation around him is sharpened by an unusual backdrop. The 90th Masters is the first since 1994 without either Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson on the draw sheet, and that changes the feel of the tournament before the first tee shot in Augusta, Ga. Rahm is in the field and remains one of the clearest contenders as the week begins.

Rahm enters Augusta with strong form and a familiar edge

Rahm is among the Masters favorites after finishing in the top five of all five LIV events this year. He won the Masters in 2023, and he has said he feels as sharp now as he did then. That combination of recent results and past success is central to why Jon Rahm stands out in this field.

The Spaniard has also built a mental approach that helps him stay steady during the first two rounds. Rahm has said he does not get bothered by making par, a mindset shaped in part by advice he has heard from Jose Maria Olazabal and Phil Mickelson. The idea is simple: at Augusta National, pars can be valuable because many holes play over par.

The Phil Mickelson tip Jon Rahm uses at Augusta National

Rahm has described the lesson in practical terms. He has said that, statistically, the only holes that play under par for the whole tournament are usually the par 5s, while every other hole at Augusta National plays over par. He has pointed to short holes and difficult scoring chances as places where a par should not create frustration.

That view matters because Augusta can punish impatience. Rahm’s thinking is built around staying inside the tournament rather than chasing every hole. In that sense, the Phil Mickelson tip Jon Rahm uses is less about aggression and more about protecting the round when birdies do not come quickly.

Augusta’s changing shape adds another layer

The old formula is not fixed in place, though. The par-5s can still shape the scoring, but the context of the course has shifted in recent years, especially on the front nine. One recent example was the 2025 Masters, where Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose reached a playoff at 11 under, and some of the par-5s played tougher than Rahm’s broad rule would suggest.

Those changes do not erase Rahm’s case. They do show that his edge is more about discipline than a single formula. Jon Rahm remains one of the names to watch because his game and his mindset both suit a tournament that rarely rewards panic.

What the post-Tiger Masters means next

The absence of Woods and Mickelson gives this Masters a different frame, and that matters at a place where history is always close to the surface. Augusta National is still the same stage, but the field is being judged in a new way, with room for players like Rahm to define the week on their own terms.

Jon Rahm will try to turn that opening into another Green Jacket run, and the next four days will show whether the course and the field again bend toward his strengths. If they do, the Masters favorite label around Jon Rahm will only get louder as Augusta moves deeper into its post-Tiger world.