Tuesday, April 11, 2023, 09:06
Immediately after proclaiming himself the winner of the Augusta Masters and putting on the Green Jacket, Jon Rahm paid an emotional tribute to Seve Ballesteros. “Winning on the 40th anniversary of her second win and her birthday is very special,” he said. The mention of him to Seve was constant during the final day of the ‘major’, and yesterday it was the son of the legendary golfer who thanked him for his words in an open letter published in Relevo.
Letter from Javier Ballesteros
We are very happy. I have seen him in Pedreña, at my father’s house. At such a special moment for him, which is probably the best day of his golf career, for Jon Rahm to remember my father is very nice. Because, also, it is not the first time. The day he won the US Open, he was on the practice field waiting for a playoff playoff and Jon’s first words were to my father. That he always remembers is very nice.
When you talk to Jon off the field and get to know his family a bit, you understand everything. I have been lucky enough to know him and also his family. To his father, Edorta, and to his mother, Ángela. They are fantastic. When you get the chance to talk to him, you realize how nice he is. For this reason, I always say that, on the golf course, he is the best and there is no doubt about that. But, even, many times it is better outside. That’s the best, which is an example for children.
Jon, heredero de Seve
Jon looks like my father. He has that claw, which my father also had to play with. They are both from the north. That is one of the reasons why everyone really enjoys watching him play. His determination with which he hits the ball, the intensity he carries on the field, the look, everything. It is that he is brutal, what luck that he is Spanish. When a Spanish athlete wins the Masters, any Spaniard feels proud and happy. Rahm is also young and we will be able to keep him for many years. Spain has in Jon an athlete for many years, an athlete with the values to be an example for children and for the whole world in general.
I’d love to give him a hug, of course. ‘Congratulations, we are very happy for you,’ she would tell him. I, who am very fond of golf and a bit of a geek about this sport, ask you to make us continue enjoying it. We have been able to see him win the US Open last year, the Masters now and surely there are many good things to come. It is to be very happy.