Jon Rahm, the fourth Spaniard to win the Augusta Masters

Four days ago, Jon Rahm opened his Augusta Masters with a double bogey on the first hole. It was the worst possible start, but he didn’t lose his composure even during the stormy days that characterized the tournament, and last Sunday he made his name in golf history by donning the iconic green jacket for the first time.

Born in Barrika, Rahm, at the age of 28, became the fourth Spaniard to win the Augusta Masters, after Seve Ballesteros, double champion (1980 and 1983), José María Olazábal (1994 and 1999) and Sergio García (2017).

Dressed in green in one of the most glorious settings in golf history, he already has two “greats” to his name, following the 2021 United States Open.

He added to his legacy by becoming the second Spanish golfer to win two different ‘major’ titles after Ballesteros (Masters and British Open) on a special day for Spain, Ballesteros’ birthday.

“I don’t know where I would be without him. Winning the Masters on the 40th anniversary of his win, on his birthday, on Easter Sunday, is incredibly important to me,” Rahm said at the champion’s green jacket ceremony. Masters.

“I know Ballesteros cheered me on today,” he added.

It was an unforgettable four days for Rahm, who started the first round with a double bogey, without suffering anything. His response was powerful and historic.

He finished the first day as co-leader with a seven under par, the best round in Masters history after a double fault start.

When asked about how he managed to stay calm, Rahm said that starting off badly sometimes “relaxes” you.

“Sometimes you relax in quotes. You’ve already made a mistake and that relaxes you a little bit. You have to go back, period. I’ve always considered that if you’re on the street of seven and you’re around par, it’s a great start of a lap,” Rahm said at a news conference.

“The first holes are not easy holes, you can make ‘birdies’ but it’s not guaranteed. After the ‘birdies’ of two and three were par on seven I was perfectly happy, I would have drawn it, you put me there and I’m fine,” he added.

It is another example of Rahm’s mental strength, who overcame a very difficult second and third round, marked by long interruptions from rain and wind.

He had to finish the third round this Sunday and faced the fourth two shots behind Koepka. He played intelligent and solid golf only to gradually come back to take the lead of the standings. He would make no more mistakes and was crowned the new champion.

The first thing he did after being crowned champion was to hug his wife and two children, Kepa (2021) and Eneko (2022).

His triumph was accompanied by his trusty ‘caddy’ Adam Hayes, with whom he has been working since 2016 and with whom he shares an insatiable appetite for success.

“The most important thing to understand with Adam is that he wants to win as much as I do and that’s the beauty and importance of the team,” Rahm doesn’t hesitate to assure.

Source: El heraldo

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