Rock-steady Invoking the great Seve Ballesteros on his late hero’s birthday, Jon Rahm overcame a long day to win the Masters competition on Sunday at Augusta National, depriving LIV Golf of a triumph that would have been a turning point.
Rahm defeated The front-runners Brooks Koepka and the venerable Phil Mickelson by a commanding four shots. Rahm started the day four strokes off the pace, but he came back thanks to a final round of three under par 69, giving him a winning total of 12-under 276 and a four shot victory margin.
Rahm added a second major championship to his resume, joining the one he won at the 2021 U.S. Open, with this triumph, his fourth of the year.
In addition, he unseats the reigning champion, Scottie Scheffler, to reclaim the top rank in the world.
Rahm, the fourth Spanish to win the Masters following Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, and Sergio Garcia, remarked, “Never thought I was going to weep by winning a golf championship, but I got very close on that 18th hole.” I never imagined that winning a golf event would make me cry.
“A lot of pride, and I’m really proud of who I am and what I’ve been able to do.”
Koepka, who had been leading after three rounds, struggled to find his game in the final round and finished with a three over par score of 75.
The three-time Green Jacket winner Mickelson turned back the clock and shot the lowest Masters round ever for a player over the age of 50 with a remarkable seven-under 65 to card the round of the day. The required score to win the Masters is eight-under 280, where he tied Koepka.
Together with Russell Henley (70), Jordan Spieth (66), Patrick Reed (68), and Russell Reed, all of whom have won the Masters Tournament before, tied for fourth place, one shot further down than the leader.
Rahm was applauded enthusiastically as he approached the 18th fairway with a four-stroke lead. This historic event took place 40 years after Ballesteros’ second of two Green Jacket victories and on the day that would have been his 66th birthday.
The victory was secured by the 28-year-old golfer, who was having a hard time keeping his composure, with a par putt from four feet away, capping off a long day of golf that started before sunrise and went until the Georgia evening.
Rahm said, “Seve is one of the reasons I play, and the history of the game is a big part of why I play. He was the greatest player ever, therefore that’s one of the reasons I play. “The fact that I was able to complete it on Easter Sunday—which also happens to be his birthday and the 40th anniversary of his victory—is really significant to me.
“It was sort of a tribute to him to end it with a Seve par, and I know he was hoping I would win today.
“The one who got this was Seve. He was up there helping, and he was extremely good at it.”