Jon Rahm Masters win 'incredibly meaningful' on 40th anniversary of Seve Ballesteros win

Jon Rahm has made history by becoming the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters, joining legends such as Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia. Rahm shot a final round of 69 to finish at 12-under par, four strokes ahead of Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, who tied for second place.

Rahm started the day two shots behind Koepka, who had a solo lead at 11-under after 54 holes. But Rahm quickly erased the deficit with birdies at the second and third holes, while Koepka bogeyed the fourth and fifth. Rahm never looked back, as he played steady golf and avoided any major mistakes on the challenging Augusta National course.

Rahm said he was inspired by Ballesteros, who would have celebrated his 66th birthday on Sunday. Rahm grew up idolizing Ballesteros, who won the Masters twice in 1980 and 1983. Rahm said he tried to emulate Ballesteros' aggressive and creative style of play, which suited the undulating greens and tricky pin positions at Augusta.

Rahm said: "I wasn't sure how [the emotion] was going to come to me until I hit the third shot on the 18th.

"History of the game is a big reason why I play and Seve is a big part of that history.

"For me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his second Masters win and on his birthday was incredibly meaningful."