Jon Rahm's journey from broken bones at birth to becoming Masters champion

10 April 2023 , 14:49

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Jon Rahm claimed his first Green Jacket with a nerveless showing in the final round of the Masters (Image: Getty Images)

It was 40 years to the day Seve Ballesteros won at Augusta National and Jon Rahm 's nerveless Sunday at the Masters was the perfect tribute to his mercurial icon.

On what would have been his 66th birthday, Rahm felt the spirit of Seve in a dominant four-shot victory and dedicated his first Green Jacket to the legendary Spaniard.

The three-under final round 69 to fend off threats from LIV Golf renegades Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson marked an incredible recovery from a nightmare four-putt double bogey on his very first hole of the tournament on Thursday.

But Rahm has been defying the odds long before pitching up at Augusta and becoming the first European player to win both the Masters and US Open titles.

This is a player who had all the bones in his right ankle broken and realigned as a baby after being diagnosed by doctors with the birth defect clubfoot.

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He needed regular extensive surgery for the defect, which involves a baby's foot being severely turned in or under.

Clubfoot is not a completely uncommon condition but what does it does not lend itself to is a destructive golf swing that can endure and compete with the world's elite.

Rahm has one of the least conventional swings in golf (R&A via Getty Images)

Growing up in the Basque Country, it was Ballesteros who proved the inspiration for so many, and Rahm's introduction to golf was no different.

Rahm's parents had seen Ballesteros captain Europe's Ryder Cup side in 1997 and encouraged him to take up golf, a sport he was not necessarily destined to flourish in.

But Rahm has been blessed with not only a unique talent but also a fierce determination to succeed and create a lasting legacy in the sport.

And his distinctive short swing that has carried him on the road to greatness is a product of a condition that was discovered just minutes after his birth.

Rahm is the fourth Spanish player to win the Masters (Getty Images)

His lack of flexibility makes a full swing impossible and his birth defect is a direct influence on his unconventional action today.

Using a soft grip, he instead relies on generating his brutal power through his strong core and fast hands, owing to the limitations in his mobility.

Rahm may have the shortest swing of any Masters winner in history but he has worked tirelessly to also make it right up there with the most effective.

He has entered the Augusta pantheon alongside his great childhood hero and few would now bet against him toppling Ballesteros's illustrious tally of five major crowns.

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