Ice-cool on course, Rahm submits to ‘wave of emotion’

Jon Rahm of Spain poses with the Masters trophy during the Green Jacket Ceremony after winning the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on 9 April 2023 in Augusta, Georgia - Getty Images/AFP

AUGUSTA, AFP: Masters Champion Jon Rahm said he had felt a “wave of emotion” after securing the green jacket with a four-stroke victory at Augusta National on Sunday.

Rahm had been ice-cool on the course as he overtook third-round leader Brooks Koepka and then held onto his lead on the back nine, where so many Masters dreams have been dashed.

But once victory was secured on the 18th green, the steely determination gave way to the inevitable feelings of joy and pride – both personal and national.

“Obviously we all dream of things like this as players, and you try to visualise what it’s going to be like and what it’s going to feel like,” Rahm said.

“And when I hit that third shot onto the green, and I could tell it was close by the crowd’s reaction, just the wave of emotion of so many things just overtook me. Never thought I was going to cry by winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole.”

“A lot of it was because of what it means to me, and to Spanish golf. It’s Spain’s 10th major, I’m the fourth (Spanish) player to win the Masters, and it is my second major win, right, it’s pretty incredible,” added the 2021 US Open winner. “To play the way I did on Sunday, only one bogey in difficult conditions and coming in with a margin of (four shots) is hard to explain. A lot of pride, and I am really proud of myself and what I did.” Adding to the emotion was the knowledge that his victory had come on what would have been the late Spanish great Seve Ballesteros’s 66th birthday and the 40th anniversary of his second Masters triumph.

“This one was for Seve. He was up there helping, and help he did,” said Rahm. But on the immaculate fairways and greens of a course which had dried out after two days of rain interruptions, there was little sign of feelings bubbling inside the 28-year-old.

For those in awe of his steely demeanour, Rahm said his heart certainly had been pounding. “What is going on on the outside is not always a reflection of the inside,” he said. “I was calm. I never got frustrated. I never really felt like anything was out of control. But obviously you’re nervous. There’s tension out there.”

Rahm became the first European to win both the US Open and the Masters, an achievement he wasn’t aware of until it was put to him in his news conference.