The Masters – How Jon Rahm played the Fortinet Threat Score holes on path to Augusta triumph 

Following the Masters Tournament, we look at how the Fortinet Threat Score holes – the toughest on Tour – played an important role in shaping some of the on-course drama as Jon Rahm won his second Major Championship.

The DP World Tour is teaming up with Fortinet once again during the 2023 DP World Tour season, including at Augusta National for the first Major of the year. 

En route to becoming the first European to win both the U.S. Open and the Masters, Rahm played the three toughest holes in a combined one over par. Those holes – the 11th, 18th and fifth at Augusta – combined to average almost a full stroke over par for the week.  

The top 10 players and ties on the leaderboard combined to make 30 bogeys and three double-bogeys on those three holes over the course of the tournament, emphasising the test they provided.

Here, we look at the three toughest holes over the week, which proved a stern challenge for Rahm as he became the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters and returned to Number One on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Difficulty Rank: 3rd 

Hole 11: 520 yards – Par 4 

Scoring average to par: +0.27 

The par-four 11th – the first of the three-hole stretch at Augusta known as Amen Corner – averaged more than a quarter of a stroke over par, maintaining its track record as one of the course’s hardest holes. Ahead of the 2022 Masters, the tee box at ‘White Dogwood’ was moved back 15 yards and to the left, with some trees down the right side of the fairway removed and the lake to the left of the green making the approach shot challenging. Rahm played the hole in level par, parring it in each of the four rounds, while Viktor Hovland was the only player in the top ten and ties to make two birdies on the 11th. In comparison, Phil Mickelson, who finished joint second, double-bogeyed it during the first round and dropped a further shot in the third round. In total, only 15 birdies were made on the 11th, with a course-high 15 double-bogeys across the four rounds of play.

Difficulty Rank: 2nd

Hole 18: 465 yards – Par 4

Scoring average to par: +0.30

The closing par-four 18th at Augusta rises around 70ft from tee to green and was made incredibly tough on Saturday as half of the field – including Rahm – played it in the worst of the weather conditions. The wet and cold weather meant some players were playing a three wood and still not reaching the green in two, with Rahm’s only dropped shot at the hole – known as ‘Holly’ – coming during the second round which carried over into Saturday. That was one of 92 bogeys made by the field – the most on any hole across the week. Rahm made a birdie during the opening round as he played the hole in level par for the four rounds, with only two other players in the top ten and ties making a birdie over four days.

Difficulty Rank: 1st

Hole 5: 495 yards – Par 4

Scoring average to par: +0.32

Historically, the tenth has proved to be the toughest hole at Augusta but that was not the case last week as it ended the tournament as the eighth hardest. Instead, the 495-yard par-four fifth statistically provided the biggest test to the world’s best. It yielded just 13 birdies across the week – the fewest of all the holes – and saw 86 bogeys made. Champion Rahm played the hole in one over par, mixing three pars with a bogey during his third round which was played during heavy and persistent rain on Saturday. American pair Jordan Spieth and Cameron Young were the only two members of the top ten on the leaderboard to make a birdie at ‘Magnolia’, while Russell Henley managed to finish in a tie for fourth despite making three bogeys across the four days of competition.

Check out all the Fortinet Threat Score every week in our course stats section.