Spaniards and the Masters have always been a match made in heaven, like green jackets and flowering azaleas, pimento cheese sandwiches and peach cobblers.
On Sunday, Jon Rahm won his first Masters title, following in the footsteps of his Spanish idols Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Sergio Garcia.
On what would have been the 66th birthday of the late Ballesteros, who died in 2011, and the 40th anniversary of Seve’s second Masters victory, the 28-year-old Spaniard claimed his maiden green jacket and second career major championship.
That’s how it works at Augusta National, a location soaked and entrenched in history and mystique.
“This was for Seve,” Rahm explained. “He was up there helping… and he did help.” I don’t know where I’d be today if it hadn’t been for Seve and that Ryder Cup in ’97 — my father and I talk about it all the time.”
Rahm’s parents were at Valderrama for the 1997 Ryder Cup, where Ballesteros guided the European team to victory. That’s where they fell in love with the game, a love they’d carry on to their son, who was born only three years before the historic event.
“It was a testament to him to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his [1983] win, on his birthday, and on Easter Sunday,” Rahm added. “I’m sure he was rooting for me today.”
When third-round play resumed Sunday morning, Brooks Koepka was 13-under par and had a four-shot lead over Rahm as they finished the eighth hole.
Rahm birdied No. 7 while Koepka bogeyed it, cutting Koepka’s lead to two strokes. That’s how the third round concluded, with Koepka at 12-under par and Rahm at 10-under.
Rahm and Koepka were level at 10-under when they walked off the fourth hole in the final round. Rahm took the lead on the sixth hole, where Koepka bogeyed again.
