On what would have been the 66th birthday of legendary Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros, Jon Rahm did himself and his country proud by taking out the win at the 2023 Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club. Just his second major victory after winning the 2021 U.S. Open, Rahm joins the list of just four Spaniards to win the Masters after a come-from-behind victory over Brooks Koepka and the indefatigable Phil Mickelson.
Rahm’s name now sits alongside three of his fellow countrymen in the history books as Masters winners, including Sergio Garcia (2017), José María Olazábal (1994, 1999) and the one and only Seve Ballesteros, as well as being the only European golfer to claim both Masters and U.S. Open titles in their career. The win comes amidst an extremely strong run of form so far in 2023, with Rahm also already winning three other tournaments at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The American Express and the Genesis Invitational.
“Never thought I was going to cry about winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole,” said Rahm after the victory. “And a lot of it because of what it means to me and Spanish golf. Spain’s 10th major, fourth player to win the Masters and my second major win. […] Lot of pride. Really proud of myself for what I did.”
His victory was one of methodical consistency, after struggling early and starting the third round with a four-stroke deficit to Brooks Koepka. It was during the third round that Rahm halved the gap to Koepka, before finally taking the lead on the 5th hole of the fourth round and by the 8th hole, Koepka had completely lost touch with the eventual winner. Rahm finished the Masters 12 under, a full four strokes ahead of Koepka who had to settle with a second-place tie with Mickelson.
