Jon Rahm became the fourth Spaniard to claim Masters glory after finishing four shots clear of Brooks Koepka in the final round on Sunday; his triumph came on the birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros and 40 years since his compatriot’s second win at Augusta National
Last Updated: 10/04/23 2:51am
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Jon Rahm is the 2023 Masters champion! Watch his best moments from the final round.
Jon Rahm is the 2023 Masters champion! Watch his best moments from the final round.
Jon Rahm was overcome with emotion after becoming the fourth Spanish golfer to seal Masters glory, proclaiming “this one was for Seve”.
The 28-year-old’s victory at Augusta National on Sunday, April 9 came on what would have been the 66th birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros, who became the first golfer from Spain to don the famous green jacket in 1980.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ballesteros’ second Masters triumph in 1983 too and the significance was not lost on Rahm, a keen student of golf history whose parents were inspired to take up the sport after watching a Europe team captained by their compatriot claim a Ryder Cup victory at Valderrama in 1997.
“Obviously we all dream of things like this as players, and you try to visualise what it’s going to be like and what it’s going to feel like,” said Rahm, who was greeted by another Spanish former Masters champion in Jose Maria Olazabal after holing out on the 18th.
“And when I hit that third shot on the green, and I could tell it was close by the crowd’s reaction, just the wave of emotion of so many things just overtook me. Never thought I was going to cry by winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole.
“And a lot of it because of what it means to me, and to Spanish golf: It’s Spain’s 10th major, fourth player to win the Masters, and my second major win. It’s pretty incredible.
“This one was for Seve. He was up there helping and help he did.”
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Jon Rahm is the 2023 Masters champion! Watch his best moments from the final round.
Rahm had begun his final round trailing playing partner Brooks Koepka by four strokes, but produced a near-flawless round of 69, which included four birdies, to capitalise on errors from the American and finish four shots clear at 12-under-par for the tournament.
It marked his second major triumph, having clinched US Open glory at Torrey Pines two years ago, and he was surprised to learn he had become the first European to complete the Masters and US Open double.
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Highlights from the final round of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National.
“I find it hard to believe, the first one,” Rahm said. “If there’s anything better than accomplishing something like this, it is making history.
“Out of all the accomplishments and the many great players that have come before me, to be the first to do something like that, it’s a very humbling feeling.
This one was for Seve. He was up there helping and help he did.
Masters champion Jon Rahm
“It is a pretty good duo of majors. The US Open is about as hard a test as you’re ever going to find, and I was trying to think, I was never going to win a major again unless it was at Torrey Pines.
“It’s not like it was that long ago, but to come somewhere where I’ve been comfortable. I kept seeing the stats, the lowest score to par out of two starts and how great I’ve done here in the past but never gave myself a chance to win. All I asked for was a chance, and I got it.”
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Watch the winning putt as Rahm became 2023 Masters champion.
This year’s success was Rahm’s best showing at Augusta National since finishing fourth in 2018, having made his debut at the iconic venue the previous year, and four of those previous six Masters appearances had yielded top-10 finishes.
Whether coincidence or an omen, that first year playing in the Masters in 2017 was the same year another Spaniard in Sergio Garcia secured his maiden major title, with his play-off win over Justin Rose coming on Sunday, April 9 as well.
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Last year’s Masters winner Scottie Scheffler presents Rahm with the Green Jacket.
“I think the main thing, something that gave me a lot of hope – and that kind of started when Sergio won in ’17 – is that pretty much every great-name Spanish player has won here,” said Rahm, who moved back up to world No 1 on the back of this win.
“There’s got to be something here about having a Spanish passport, there’s something about the grounds that transmits into all of us. Even that year, I played good – I played good every year.
“I can’t pinpoint exactly the first time [I thought I would win the Masters], but it really became clear to me that year.”
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