SPAIN’S Jon Rahm won the Masters yesterday by four strokes after shooting a three-under-par final round 69 at Augusta National to end 12 under-par overall.

Americans Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson tied for second place ending eight-under overall as Rahm clinched a victory that returns him to golf’s world number one ranking.

Rahm began the final round two strokes behind Koepka but took the lead on the sixth hole when Koepka bogeyed and he never looked back while his rival faded out of contention.

The victory was the 28-year-old Rahm’s second in a major following his triumph at the US Open in 2021 and he became the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters following in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.

His win came on what would have been the 66th birthday of his idol Ballesteros, who won the Masters 40 years ago. – AFP, April 10, 2023.