Masters: Jon Rahm pulls away from Brooks Koepka to win, gives nod to Seve Ballesteros
- Spaniard shoots three-under-par 69 in the final round to overhaul previous leader Brooks Koepka and triumph at Augusta National Golf Club
- Triumph falls on 40th anniversary of Spanish great’s second Masters title – also his birthday
Jon Rahm offered a sense of history – and then he went out and became part of it.
The Spaniard shot a three-under-par 69 in the final round to earn his first Masters championship on a long Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta.
His victory came on the 40-year anniversary of Spanish great Seve Ballesteros’ second Masters championship. April 9 also was Ballesteros’ birthday.
Ballesteros captained the 1997 European team to a Ryder Cup victory in Sotogrande, Spain, something that had a huge influence on Rahm, his family and their interest in golf.
“History of the game is a big part of why I play and one of the reasons why I play, and Seve being one of them,” Rahm said of Ballesteros, who died in 2011 at age 54. “If it wasn’t for that Ryder Cup in ’97, we don’t know where I would be.”
Rahm, the 2021 US Open winner, collected his second major championship by finishing at 12-under 276 for a four-stroke victory.
