In 1980, Seve Ballesteros walked off of the 18th green at Augusta National as the first Spaniard to ever win The Masters. In 1983, Seve won his second Green Jacket at the age of 26. In 2020, another supremely talented 26-year-old Spaniard is looking follow in his idol's footsteps: Jon Rahm.
The current World No. 2 has come a long way since his first go around at Augusta (2017). His all-around game has certainly gotten better, but more importantly his mental game has improved by leaps and bounds. While still fiery, Rahm has learned to not let his emotions impact his performance on the golf course.
Course Fit
As for this week, Rahm's skillset is an ideal fit for Augusta National. Being one of the longest hitting golfers on TOUR, he has the ability to tame Augusta National with his power off of the tee and high ball-flight.
Rahm ranks second in this field (past 24 rounds) in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. Combining off-the-tee game with strong iron play will be one of the keys to winning the 2020 Masters. Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (T2G) combines both of these key statistical elements and Rahm once again grades out very well ranking third in this field.
An Underrated Putter
Arguably the most difficult aspect of Augusta National is managing the terrorizing greens. They are sloping and lightning fast; creating a strong challenge for even the world's best putters.
To put Augusta's greens in perspective, the USGA calculates that the green surface rating is 148 which is the highest in the country. Luckily for Rahm, he is one of the best putters on TOUR on lightning fast greens ranking ninth in the field (past 24 rounds). Putting is an underrated aspect of Rahm's game, and combining his skill on the greens with his world-class tee-to-tee green game will make him very difficult to beat, even in a loaded field.
Form
Rahm enters Augusta National playing some very good golf. Rahm is coming into Augusta off a second-place finish at a very deep Zozo Championship. He gained 4.4 strokes on approach that week, showing that his iron game is rounding into strong form at the right time.
Jon Rahm is one of the most talented golfers on earth in every aspect of the game. Before his 26th birthday he has four wins on the PGA TOUR and six wins on the European Tour.
Although his accolades are starting to pile up there is still one glaring omission: a major championship. Bet on that to change this week with a Green Jacket.
