Jon Rahm recalls magical Masters memory alongside dad in Archerfield Links top

Spaniard savoured getting chance to visit sacred parts of Augusta National clubhouse

Jon Rahm wore his Green Jacket while his father, Edorta, sported a top adorned with an Archerfield Links logo as they shared a special moment in the sacred corridors of Augusta National Golf Club in the wake of the Spaniard’s success in last year’s Masters.

“I was there with my dad and (wife) Kelley in the clubhouse,” recalled Rahm of how he’d savoured a victory that had seen him join a trio of compatriots - Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia - by winning the season’s opening major after overcoming a four-putt at his opening hole to go toe-to-toe with Brooks Koepka for 54 holes then, after getting his nose in front, holding off final-round charge from Phil Mickelson.

“Yeah, I just took my time to take the opportunity to ask for certain things. It's one in the morning, and I said, if there's a time to maybe get away with something, it's right now, so I asked, ‘can we go to the champions’ locker-room?’ because I don't know if they're ever going to be able to go up there again. They said ‘yes’. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had, to see people's names on the lockers, to actually see the locker room, to see the showcase they had for Scottie's win (referring, of course, to Scottie Scheffler being the defending champion on that occasion), take a few pictures while I was up there. It was really fun.”

Jon Rahm, the fourth Spaniard to triumph at Augusta National, shows off the trophy with his father Edorta after winning last year's Masters. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

It didn’t stop there. “My dad and I walked out to the balcony looking down Magnolia Lane, what you could see in the pitch darkness,” he added. “They actually took one of the coolest pictures I have. I didn't realise the camera was up there, and somebody from the corner took a picture of my dad and I talking, me with the jacket on, out on the balcony, and it's one of the better pictures we have. I think it's my dad's or my mom's WhatsApp picture, which is really cool to see, and then having Kelley up there for that, as well, is special. I don't know if I'll be able to recreate that again with any of them, but I'm really glad that they let us do that and they got to see the history of it.”

The 29-year-old, who is serving up a Basque-themed menu for Tuesday’s Champions’ Dinner, is excited to find out who he’ll be sharing a locker with, having earned that privilege through enjoying a very special moment as his second major victory came on what would have been the 66th birthday of the late Ballesteros and also the 40th anniversary of his second victory in The Masters.

“It's always very difficult to put into words,” admitted Rahm in reply to being asked how he felt 12 months ago after having the Green Jacket slipped over his wide shoulders by Scheffler. “Very few times do I remember in any sporting event to have so many things line up to make something so memorable for a player, with it being Easter, with it being Seve's birthday, with my caddie Adam and me registering as the 49th player and being 4/9, the actual date of April 9th, being the fourth Spaniard to win it, 10th Spanish major. I think it was a sixth Green Jacket, which puts us one ahead of South Africa.

“Just a lot of little things that made it so much more special than what already winning the Green Jacket and being the Masters champion is. What other way to do it than finish it exactly like Seve would have wanted, hit it in the trees and getting up-and-down from 60 yards to make par. That's about as Seve as it gets.”

Has anything changed over the past year as a Masters champion or caught him by surprise? “There was a jump obviously when I won the US Open,” he said of landing that title at Torrey Pines in 2021. “There's a change; your level of notoriety and fame go up a little bit. People know your name a little bit better. You get just a little bit busier. But the jump that happened after winning the Masters was much, much larger. The level of attention, the level of recognition, the level of commitment, it just became a lot bigger than I expected it to be from two to one, as what it was from zero to one. That's the biggest thing.

“I think it's because it's maybe the one event besides the Ryder Cup that people watch the most. Even non-golfers love the Masters week. I remember even when I was at ASU people that weren't golfers talking about the Masters and watching the Masters. I remember being in some classes on the back row, and you could see people's laptops, and if you had a big enough class, you would see three, four, five to ten people where one of their windows was The Masters. You could see Amen Corner and you could see 1 and 2 and you could see 5 and 6 and you'd see people watching those holes mid-class. I'm going to be honest, me included.”

As he makes his first major appearance since being lured to LIV Golf for a whopping £476 million, Rahm is bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back at the Georgia venue since Tiger Woods achieved the feat in 2002. “I don't know,” he said to it being pointed out that the fact a number of players, including both Ballesteros and Olazabal, had become multiple Masters champions should perhaps give him mental freedom being back there.

“I think there's an argument to be made for both. Having the comfort of having been there and having done it and knowing that you can do it again, but also having the hunger to get it done for the first time. I think the second one is harder to overcome because sometimes wanting it too much can be detrimental.

"But, if you get past that and you can keep the hunger, then having done it already I think is definitely a positive.There's a lot of people that have done it twice. Some people have done it quickly, some other players have had to wait years, but there's a few great champions that haven't been able to do it, so I'm hoping I can join Seve and Ollie and get to two.”