Spanish golf should mark this Wednesday, 10th of April 2024, in red. For the first time in history, three Spanish green jackets have played together in the Masters.
Jon Rahm, Sergio García and Jose María Olazábal have shared the first nine holes of the Augusta National, the final touches before the start of the tournament. Can they be proud? They should.
– They have been talking all the time, telling stories, laughing a lot, sharing information… Practically, they have walked off each tee together.
– The master around the green is Olazábal. Rahm and Sergio stand to attention and listen when it comes to chipping. On all the holes. They see the positions chosen by the double Masters champion and there they go to practice the same shots. Each one does it in his own way, but it is impressive to see the finesse of Olazábal and Rahm with the wedges. Chema always a little higher, Jon lower and challenging the contours.
– The third way is Sergio. The man from Borriol loves to test the 3-wood from the Augusta antegreens. He feels comfortable with this shot from outside the green, especially, of course, when the entrance is uphill. Rahm and Olazábal don’t even try it. They don’t buy it.
– On the fairway of hole 2 appears Greg Norman. Right side as you walk towards the tee. The Australian, ambassador of LIV Golf, is visiting. The three Spaniards approach the rope to greet him. The caddies too. There are not many fans paying attention to Norman. Also walking alongside the match are chef José Andrés, the president of Real Sociedad, Jokin Aperribay, a regular at the Masters alongside Olazábal and José Manuel Lara, the professional golfer, who has come to Augusta for his honeymoon.
– A group of three young men in their 30s from Martinez, a small town located a handful of kilometres from Augusta, follow the match from hole 1 to 9. They are amazed by Jon and have had a great time with the Spaniards. They highlight above all the play around the greens. We ask them if they know the term Spanish hands and they assure us that it is the first time they have heard it, but they love it. They adopt it. And they don’t stop repeating it. Almost on every chip…
– Juanma and Alisha are Spaniards, from Badajoz and Jerez. They are police officers and are close to the Spaniards, in charge of security. The accent gives them away. They appreciate hearing their language, but they don’t have time for chit-chat. They are on duty.
– Hole 8. Par 5. Rahm and Sergio have hit a very good drive. They are on the left side of the fairway. Jon is a little longer than the man from Borriol, but not much more. They plan the shot together. Jon is surprised that García hits the 3-iron, it seems like a lot of club, but he understands when he checks where the flag is, at the back. Sergio hits a trademark iron shot. Spectacular. A fan standing two metres away can’t contain himself and exclaims loudly, “Sergio hits the irons better than I do”. The Spaniard hears him and replies: “I hope so”. General laughter and then the challenge: “we should check it out someday”, says García in a friendly way. That’s when the spontaneous man backs down: “no chance”.
– The most intense moment is lived on hole 7. Rahm has hit a monstrous drive. It is unheard of where the ball is. Very long. He hits the second shot and the ball lands less than a foot from the hole. Roar as if it were already Thursday.
– The fans don’t care where and how they are playing lately. They only know that they are Sergio García, Jon Rahm and José María Olazábal, who have won the Masters and are ready to have a great time with them. They succeed.
– “They are two of the best ball strikers in the world, so they always have to be counted on in the Masters. Sergio has more ease to play the ball with both effects and Jon handles the fade better, but both can have chances to win this week. Me? Nothing, nothing, but nothing, bad, bad, very bad, my game is bad… To do what I can and fight…”. This is Olazábal’s diagnosis after the round.
