One major championship down, three to go

The Masters has come and gone.

Jon Rahm from Spain prevailed in what is the first of four major championships in the world of men’s golf.

The next three majors are in the upcoming three months.

The second major is the PGA Championship in New York from May 15-21 followed by the United States Open in Los Angeles from June 15-18.

Then it’s across the Atlantic Ocean to England for the last of the majors, The Open Championship from July 17-23.

These four tournaments are considered the mosts prestigious in men’s golf mainly because of the great history behind them.

But, oddly enough, they are not the richest.

The Masters last month carried a total purse of $US18 million but there are at least 11 other tournaments on the PGA Tour that have more prizemoney.

This year’s richest event is the Players’ Championship which is sometimes referred to as the fifth major.

The Players’ was held in Florida in March and was worth $US25 million. The winner was Scottie Scheffler and he earned $US4.5 million. That’s about $NZ7.3 million.

The remaining three majors will probably all be worth $US15 million each. The purses for those tournaments are usually not confirmed until the week of each event.

So while the four majors are not the richest tournaments in the world they are the ones that are the most desired by the players and the fans. Players dream of winning a major. Fans plan their golf trips around them.

With that in mind, imagine how Rahm must have felt after his win at Augusta National last month. It was his second major win following victory in the 2021 US Open at Torrey Pines in California.

Little wonder that among Rahm’s opening comments afterwards was: "Hard to put it into words.”

The emotion was ramped up by the fact that Rahm became the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters. The previous are Seve Ballesteros (who won in 1980 and 1983), Jose Maria Olazabal (1994 and 1999) and Sergio Garcia (2017).

Ballesteros is the most famous of Spanish golfers and this was not lost on Rahm.

``This one was for Seve,’’ Rahm said. ``He was up there helping, and help he did.”

From a New Zealand angle, Ryan Fox did not disappointment. He finished 26th despite not being in his best health. He earned $US147,000 ($NZ239,000) and nearly got a hole in one.