Jon Rahm He made history for Spanish sport again by getting a new great, which brings the historic harvest to ten since Seve Ballesteros signed the first at the 1979 British Open. With a spectacular performance, full of cool head and good play, the Basque added a second ‘salmon’ to his record and confirms that Spain is the second best country in history at the Augusta Masters, with six green jackets won. Until now it was tied with South Africa (5), although very far from the 63 of the locals.
Rahm’s final result (-12) and the distance of four strokes over Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, speak clearly of the dominance he has exercised in this 2023 edition, in which he was already a co-leader on the first day and never finished a round beyond the second place. He reached the 18th hole with four rentals and tasted success before putting on the long-awaited jacket.
In the United States they are not very fond of celebrating Easter and our Resurrection Sunday is celebrated like Easter. And the masses that accompanied Jon Rahm through the field yesterday afternoon well processed to see his sports idol. Despite the muddy terrain on which they were driving, the spectators vibrated with the display that the Spaniard was giving, a true strategy machine. If it is said that Fernando Alonso has the races in his head, the one from Barrica does the same with the holes. He knows where to risk and where not, just as he foresees what his rivals will do; that is why he is so admired by the public. ‘Come on, Rahmbo’ they yelled at him, in a curious mix between the Spanish war cry and the nickname he acquired while at Arizona State.
When the day began, with the resumption of the third unfinished day on Saturday, the cold and the news of Tiger Woods’ retirement had completely frozen the fans. The tournament, orphaned by its king after 23 consecutive times making the cut, had its natural substitute in Barrica. Everyone knows that he is spectacular when necessary, courageous as anyone but also an iceberg when he must remain calm. And yesterday he did it both in the holes that remained from the previous day (he reduced his disadvantage with Koepka from four to two shots) and in those that followed the final round.
The faces are the reflection of the soul and it was soon seen that the Spanish was to fight and the American to lose the battle. Calmly and patiently, as the teacher Chema Olazábal had recommended, Jon let his rival sink little by little, especially mentally. He got close to one on the third hole and tied it on the next one, beginning a new match-play with fourteen still ahead. The level of concentration of the Spaniard was so high that he did not fall into great displays of joy so as not to lose concentration. But no one was unaware that the day was leaning towards him, especially when on hole 6 he already took the lead with a lead that he did not abandon until they put on his green jacket hours later.
Jon Rahm during the celebration
His game strategy, commented so many times, indicated that he had to overcome the faithful of the seventh flag in franchise. He did so in the previous rounds and repeated it in the Sunday round. His one-shot lead then became two on the 8th hole and three on the 12th (-10). At that point, the one from Florida had collapsed with the poorest body language, as he was already beginning to see how even his second position was in danger. The first to finish with a great result in the clubhouse was Phil Mickelson (-8), followed by Jordan Spieth (-7).
a dream ending
Undeterred by the nerves of what was to come, Jon continued with his game plan. He attacked the par 5 that closed the ‘Amen Corner’ and took a luxury birdie (-11), which already gave him a margin of three over his immediate pursuers. In the 14th minute he returned to show off the tiralíneas to sign a new ‘birdie’ (-12) and move away from Koepka definitively (-7).
With the afternoon clear, Jon kicked again to improve his card on 15 and 16 and, although he did not succeed, he headed into the last holes with three strokes of rent over a Brooks who was not willing to throw in the towel but who already it worried him. And the last one, with a margin of four. Everything was already done.
Since there was no longer an option for bad luck (he took his first fist for a walk on the 17th hole), it was time to look back at the way in which the nine previous ‘majors’ of Spanish golf had been achieved. In Seve’s first Masters in 1980, the Spaniard began the first day as co-leader, just like Jon and in six of the nine great ones (‘British’ of 1979, 84 and 88, Masters 83 and 94 and Open USA 2021) the title He came attacking from behind on the last day. Likewise, in three of the five previous Masters, Hispanics were leaders in some round of the championship. But what motivated Rahm the most was knowing that Sergio won the same day as Seve’s birthday (April 9), just like he did yesterday.
“Seve is one of the reasons why I play”
Seve pushed me from above. He is one of the reasons why I play. If it wasn’t for that ’97 Ryder, my dad and I talk about it all the time, we don’t know where he would be or where we would be as a family. For me, winning the Masters on the 40th anniversary of his second victory is incredibly significant,” said the Spaniard. «Olazabal told me about Seve and if he had continued a little more we would both have cried. People were cheering me on every hole and saying ‘do it for Seve’.”
«There is something in this field that is transmitted to all Spaniards. It is the tenth largest in Spain and the sixth green jacket… I find it hard to explain. Seeing Sergio win here was incredible and as a Spaniard you think that there is something special here, that it is our destiny, and that those three great Spanish players won before me… It will be an honor to be able to play here for life and prepare a northern Basque dinner. Chef José Ándrés is going to burn me all year long », he reiterated.
«I was calm, I never got frustrated. I never felt like anything was out of control. It is true that what is outside is not always a reflection of what is inside. I was calm, cool, I had the game under control, I was comfortable with my game and I had faith. And I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Only when I teeed off on the 18th hole did I let my mind go. I didn’t want to believe it until it was fixed. I have remembered when Rafa Nadal recounted that in the Wimbledon final against Federer he allowed himself to think about victory and ended up losing a set. And I didn’t want that to happen to me. Then in 18, with the reaction of the public, I was invaded by a wave of emotion for so many things. I never thought I would cry winning a golf tournament, but I came very close on that hole,” he said.