Masters champion Jon Rahm blames Super Bowl-winner Zach Ertz for jinxing championship run

World number one golfer Jon Rahm talked about NFL tight end Zach Ertz during his acceptance speech after winning the 2023 Masters.

Rahm shared a chat exchange with the three-time Pro Bowler before the competition started.

“For those people who believe in jinxing other players, people, or whatever it may be. Thursday morning, when I was getting on the golf cart to get to my putting ring ten minutes before my tee time, I saw a text from a good friend of mine. And I'm gonna name him because he's a Super Bowl-winning champion: Zach Ertz.

“He sent the text, I'm gonna paraphrase here, but he said, 'That first green looking like a walk in the park' or something, ten minutes before I four-putted to start the tournament. So, thank you, Zach. Don't ever do that again, please."

Rahm rallied from two strokes behind Brooks Koepka to win his second golf major and first green jacket. He ended the four-round tournament at -12, four strokes off Koepka and Phil Mickelson. The win also helped him regain the number one ranking from last year’s Masters winner Scottie Scheffler.

Rahm’s speech led three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, JJ Watt, to tweet screenshots of the conversation. Watt said:

“Can confirm. I think this means you deserve a green jacket @ZERTZ_86 #TheMasters”

It did show Ertz’s message, as Rahm shared, but what came after the four-putt was hilarious. Ertz said:

“I said pretend you’re playing WITH us, not like your playing LIKE us.”

Rahm earned $3.24 million of the $18 million purse for his 2023 Masters win.

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Zach Ertz is a champion in his own right

While Zach Ertz nearly jinxed Rahm, he has had a solid NFL career. The Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft after three years of college football at Stanford. It didn’t take long before he overtook James Casey as the starting tight end, a spot he held on to until 2020.

His best year came in 2018, with 116 receptions, a single-season record for tight ends. Ertz also had career-highs of 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. That marvelous season happened a year after he had helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII, the first in franchise history, over the New England Patriots.

The Eagles sent Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2021 season. In return, Philadelphia received cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft. He had 56 receptions, 574 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinals.

During the 2021 offseason, Watt signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals, making him Ertz's teammate. The seven-time All-Pro defensive end retired after the 2022 season.

Meanwhile, Zach Ertz is under contract with the Cardinals until 2024. He will earn a base salary of $8.75 million for the upcoming season. While Rahm represents Spain in golfing tournaments, he resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife and two sons.