\n
Rahm, 28, carded a three-under 69 to finish on 12 under and win by four shots as Koepka, who led by two going into the final round, signed for a 75.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nKoepka ended joint second with veteran <\/span>Phil Mickelson,<\/strong> who shot a a stunning seven-under 65 to finish eight under.<\/span><\/p>\nFormer champions <\/span>Jordan Spieth<\/strong> and <\/span>Patrick Reed<\/strong> were a shot further back.<\/span><\/p>\nDefending champion <\/span>Scottie Scheffler<\/strong> finished in a group on four under, along with England’s US Open champion <\/span>Matt Fitzpatrick,<\/strong> who was the highest finisher from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.<\/span><\/p>\nRahm became the fourth Spanish player to win the Masters and his victory poignantly came on what would have been the 66th birthday of the legendary two-time champion Seve Ballesteros, who won in 1980 and 1983.<\/span><\/p>\n“I wasn’t sure how [the emotion] was going to come to me until I hit the third shot on the 18th,” said Rahm, whose first major win came at the 2021 US Open.<\/span><\/p>\n“History of the game is a big reason why I play and Seve is a big part of that history. <\/span><\/p>\n“For me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his second Masters win and on his birthday was incredibly meaningful.”<\/span><\/p>\nHow Rahm took control to win Green Jacket<\/h3>\n
Rahm was one of the pre-tournament favourites – alongside Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who missed the halfway cut, and world number one Scheffler – after an impressive year in the lead-up to the first men’s major of the season.<\/span><\/p>\nWith three wins on the PGA Tour this year, plus four top-10 finishes in six previous Masters starts, Rahm had the form and previous pedigree to win at Augusta – and he duly delivered.<\/span><\/p>\nRemarkably, he started his bid on Thursday with a double bogey after a four-putt on the first hole. After that he barely made a wrong move.<\/span><\/p>\nRahm showed all facets of his outstanding all-round game – particularly his relentlessly huge driving and nerveless putting – to record an opening round of 65 and then posting scores of 69, 73 and 69.<\/span><\/p>\nNot only did Rahm win the iconic Green Jacket for the first time, he also returned to the world number one ranking.<\/span><\/p>\nLeading by four shots with four holes left to play, he maintained that advantage going into the 18th hole and could even afford to hit his final drive into the trees.<\/span><\/p>\nThe ball ended up bouncing back into play and landing 150 yards from the tee, but he retained composure to lay up and knock a sublime chip to within a few feet for an unorthodox par.<\/span><\/p>\n“It was a very unusual par, very much a Seve par – in a non purposeful way. I know he was pulling for me and it was a great Sunday,” added the 28-year-old.<\/span><\/p>\nAfter sinking his final putt, Rahm shook his clenched fists while looking up to the sky.<\/span><\/p>\nHis family – wife Kelley, along with two sons Kepa and Eneko – quickly joined him on the 18th green before he was congratulated further by friends and family.<\/span><\/p>\nThose included compatriot Jose Maria Olazabal, another two-time Masters champion and one of Rahm’s mentors.<\/span><\/p>\nKoepka fades as LIV denied victory<\/h3>\n
What looked set to be a tight two-way duel between Rahm and Koepka ended up being a controlled and clinical victory for the Spaniard.<\/span><\/p>\nAs well as Rahm’s brilliance, a poor final round from Koepka was a significant factor.<\/span><\/p>\nKoepka was bidding for a fifth major title – and a first since 2019 – despite barely having played 72-hole events in recent months after deciding to switch to the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.<\/span><\/p>\nThe LIV tournaments are played over 54 holes, although Koepka arrived at the Masters in form having won last week’s event in Miami where his $4m (\u00a33.2m) prize, exceeded the record $3.24m Rahm will take home for winning the first major of the year.<\/span><\/p>\nBut his driving became wayward early in the final round and once that allowed the momentum to shift towards Rahm, Koepka could not recover.<\/span><\/p>\nAsked by Sky Sports how he felt after being unable to maintain his lead, Koepka said: “Kind of ho-hum. I didn’t play that great. I hit some good shots and just ended up in some terrible spots. Then at the end trying to make birdies when he’s ahead – it’s tough.<\/span><\/p>\n“Second is not very fun so that’s motivation in itself.”<\/span><\/p>\n