List of Spanish golfers who have won the Masters Tournament: Who could be next?
Augusta National has seen several Spanish golfers win the Masters, with Jon Rahm being the last one to earn a green jacket in 2023
Jon Rahm got off to a rough start at the 2023 Masters. His double-bogey on the first hole was quickly forgotten and he then went on to win his first green jacket. He was the fourth Spanish golfer to do so and put himself in a group of elite players.
The Spanish native, who made his seventh appearance last year at the Masters had an impressive start, middle and finish to his 2023 season before departing for the LIV Tour. He capped off an incredible 2023 with a win in Rome at the Ryder Cup before saying goodbye to the tour that had made him a household name.
The 29-year-old from Barrika won 11 times on the PGA Tour including a win at the 2021 US Open and the Masters in 2023. All eyes are on the Spaniard this year as he tries to repeat, but he’ll have to beat the best golfers in the world after getting off to a slow start on the Saudi-backed tour.
Despite leaving the PGA Tour, nobody can take away his achievements on golf’s biggest stage as he followed the footsteps of his fellow Spaniards: Sergio Garcia (2017), José María Olazábal (1994, 1999), and Seve Ballesteros (1980, ‘83) by winning the first major of the year at Augusta National in 2023. He’ll be able to celebrate the win with former champions at the Masters Club Dinner on April 9:
Which Spanish golf players have won the Masters?
Ballesteros: the Spanish master of Augusta
Seve became the first European to wear the green jacket in 1980 at the age of just 23. He won his first Masters and second major championship title, four strokes ahead of runners-up Jack Newton and Gibby Gilbert. The Spaniard from Pedreña then won his second Masters and third major title in 1983, four strokes ahead of runners-up Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite.
José María Olazábal
In 1994, Chema won the first of his two Masters titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up Tom Lehman. With the victory, he became the sixth winner from Europe in the past seven Masters - dominating at Augusta National Golf Club. In 1999, the player from Guipozcoa won his second Masters championship, two strokes ahead of runner-up Davis Love III and three strokes ahead of Greg Norman, the current CEO of the Saudi-funded League, LIV Golf.
Sergio Garcia
Garcia took the burden of Spanish golf on his shoulders after the departure of Olazábal and Ballesteros. Having shown talent at a young age, El Niño quickly became among the five best Spanish golf players of all time and the best in the world in the 21st century. The 43-year-old won the Augusta Masters in 2017 and contributed to Europe winning six Ryder Cups out of the nine editions in which he has participated.
Jon Rahm
As explained above, Rahmbo went out big before leaving the PGA Tour. He won the Masters in 2023 and went on to beat Team USA at the 2023 Ryders Cup in Rome before moving on to the LIV Tour.
Top Spanish golfers following the footsteps of Seve, Chema, Sergio and Jon
Nacho Elvira is currently the top Spanish golfer in the DP World Tour Race for Dubai. He is followed closely by Pablo Larrazabal. Both golfers could be considered journeymen at this point in their careers. Elvira, 37, has been playing regularly on the European Tour since 2016 and has one win under his belt. While Larrazabal, 40, has shown glimpses of greatness on the European Tour and has nine victories to his name. Another veteran who came close to breaking through on the PGA Tour while appearing several times in all four majors is Rafa Cabrera Bello, 39. His most impressive finishes came in 2017 with a T4 at the British Open and a T10 the following year at the PGA Championship.
Some younger players with chances of breaking through to the next level include Alejandro del Rey, 26, currently ranked 34th in the Race to Dubai. After an impressive amateur career, the golfer from Madrid has played solid golf since turning pro in 2020. Manuel Elvira, 27, is ranked 44th on the Road to Dubai and now plays on the European Tour with his brother Nacho after graduating from the Challenge Tour last year. Another young Spanish golfer to keep an eye on in the future is Angel Hidalgo, 25. During the 2021 season he had two wins on the Alps Tour and one on the Challenge Tour to propel him into the European Tour where he as played since 2022.