Rahm's coronation: Tribute to Seve, the marked destiny and first conquest of the green jacket

An unforgettable date: April 9, 2023, the day on which Seve Ballesteros would have turned 66 years old. The whims of fate wanted the celebration to be in style, with Jon Rahm dressed in green at Augusta National. The sensations and atmosphere were already different from the beginning of the week. Rahm appeared very focused on the meadows of the most special major. But the Barrika player did not know the almost paranormal twists and turns in the history of Spanish golf.. The last time the end of the Augusta Masters coincided with the birthday of the Pedreña genius was 2017, the year in which Sergio García won his only major.. “Don't put any more pressure on me,” Rahm responded when he found out about the coincidence.

In one of the practice rounds, José María Olazábal and Sergio García (masters with jackets in the champions' locker room) escorted Rahm in the hours before the Masters. On the 12th hole there was a proposal for her hand from a couple of spectators who had the trident of Spanish golf as luxurious godfathers.

“I have never reached the last nine holes on Sunday with any real chance of victory,” the Basque recalled in his meeting with the press before starting the tournament.. In 2018 it was fourth. But if something motivates the Barrika golfer, it is precisely that, the pressure, the records, the history. After those doubts, Rahm achieved his second major at Augusta National, his first Augusta Masters. He won four strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson, despite starting the tournament with a double bogey.

“I have not been someone who has come close to crying, but when Chema hugged me I almost lost everything,” he admitted minutes after winning.. Olazabal only whispered one phrase in the new champion's ear: “It had to be this day.”

This Masters was probably the most serene, calm victory for the Barrika player, who added victory number 20 of his career and the second major after the 2021 US Open. To crown his dance of records, it was his eleventh victory on the PGA Tour, surpassing Seve Ballesteros (nine) and equaling Sergio García as the most successful Spaniard on the American Circuit.

Party and exhaustion

Around midnight, an exhausted Rahm made his way back along Magnolia Lane, already crowned in green after just over two hours of formal events: interviews, meeting with club members…. Tradition continues to rule in the most elite club in the world, there was barely time or energy left for a celebration worthy of the feat. “I came home exhausted, left my jacket in the closet and got into bed. I couldn't take it anymore. That Sunday began shortly before five in the morning.. Mentally and physically, my body couldn't handle it anymore.. I slept badly because of the adrenaline. The next morning everything arrived. I was in the room, in bed with Kelley, it was about 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning and I saw a photo from Golf Digest. It was a montage on the green of the 18th hole, where Seve and I were shaking hands. When I saw that photo, it hit me all at once. I started to cry. I looked at Kelley, back at the photo. And when she looked back at me, her face was already full of tears. There was so much emotion for what had happened… That's when I realized what I had achieved and what it meant,” the champion recalled in a conversation with EL MUNDO.

It is the sixth green jacket for Spanish golf. Seve Ballesteros conquered it in 1980 and 1983; José María Olazábal, in 1994 and 1999, and Sergio García, in 2017. The eleventh Grand Slam tournament in the history of Spanish golf.

What pointed to an epic year turned out to be exceptional, Rahm achieved four titles in the first four months of the year without including, of course, the one he won with Europe in the Ryder Cup in Rome.

The end of the story, known to everyone, has led to the unexpected departure of Jon Rahm to LIV Golf with an irrefutable contract. A signing that has meant the suspension of the Spaniard from the PGA Tour and one of its consequences has been that the Barrika player could not fulfill one of his dreams for which he had been waiting all season.

After his triumph at Augusta Rahm was clear about where he wanted to wear the Green Jacket: “You have to ask permission. They set their rules…. Although it would be incredible to wear it in San Mamés”. That was his intention in the last soccer league match between his Athletic team and Atlético de Madrid.. However, permission never came from Augusta National and the Spaniard could not kick off dressed in green, as Sergio García did at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.. And Augusta National avoids any source of controversy or situation that could affect the most exclusive club in golf.