The Masters is here for another year. With four Spaniards among the contenders, with the best golfers in the world in contention, with a course as demanding as ever, with hundreds of accredited journalists, … with all the ingredients to live again one of the best weeks of golf of the year.
The three Spanish golfers land at Augusta National at different moments of their careers. The mere fact that three of them are ranked among the top 32 in the World Ranking already places them as potential winners, although it is true that in a tournament like this one this list is very large.
Jon Rahm (number 8 in the World Ranking) travels from Arizona to Georgia with a good number of remarkable results in his bag in just three months of competition in 2019. His third victory on the PGA Tour, harvested in December at the Hero World Challenge, has finally established him as a top player in the world, a contender for everything.
This same condition is shared by Sergio García (27), although in his credit shines another weighty argument to trust him this week: his victory in the 2017 Masters. After that milestone on a Sunday night remembered by all, there have been some disappointments, such as his discreet performance in last year’s edition, but also other beautiful moments, such as his last triumph at Valderrama, back in October.
Next to both, Rafael Cabrera (31), who is increasingly in pursuit of his first victory in the United States. His solidity and solvency, beyond any doubt, have a new appointment in a mythical course, where, who knows, the prophecy launched by the prestigious coach David Leadbetter last year could come true: “Rafa has a Grande in his hands”.
The fourth Spaniard in contention in the current edition of The Masters is José María Olazábal, one of the golfers present in the tournament who knows the course and the competition itself best. Since his debut in 1985 he has signed eight Top 10s, two of them victories (1994 and 1999), two feats that allow him to return every year to one of his favorite courses. He is currently working between the European Tour and the Champions Tour, where he shares the bill with Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
Nobody wants to miss it
And what can we say about the list of contenders for the title, which starts with Justin Rose as number one in the World Ranking and continues with Rory McIlroy, recent winner at The Players Championship, Jordan Spieth, who manages spectacular numbers in Augusta, Francesco Molinari, who is in the best moment of his career, or Patrick Reed, defending champion.
In addition, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka or the always watched Tiger Woods, who intends to consolidate his return to the top echelon of world golf by winning a major again.
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