Jon Rahm has a lot to live up to when it comes to the achievements of Spanish players in the Masters, but the fastest rising star in European golf can do something which proved beyond even Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Rahm, who was the world's top ranked amateur while studying at Arizona State University, is ranked 12th in the world after less than a year as a professional thanks to winning the Farmers Insurance Open and a string of other superb performances.

The 22-year-old recovered from five down after eight holes to almost force a play-off with Dustin Johnson in the final of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, having finished tied third behind the world number one in the WGC-Mexico Championship.

And that means Rahm is rated as low as 20/1 to become the first debutant to win the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, with Sunday's final round fittingly falling on a day when two-time champion Ballesteros would have celebrated his 60th birthday.

"I actually came here for the first time right after Mexico and for a Spaniard, it's hard to explain all the feelings that come to mind," Rahm said.

"The year I was born, Olazabal won his first Masters. Seve had already won two. It really is a place that seems to suit the Spanish game character, the Spanish way of playing. For people like me who just turned pro it doesn't get much better than this.

"If I didn't think I could win it, I wouldn't be here. Torrey Pines is not one of the places rookies usually win for the first time and I was able to do it.

"Obviously this is different. It's a major and my first time in Augusta. I'm going to tee it up believing that I can win, competing to win. I might do it, I might not, but that's how I do it.

"Seve is my idol. I try to emulate a lot of things he did. If I have a chance on Sunday, I'll keep in mind that I know he'll be out there, hopefully helping me out to get the green jacket. I know he'll be out for the entire week but hopefully on Sunday he can make a special present."

Rahm finished as the leading amateur in last year's US Open before turning professional, thereby losing his exemption for the Open as the top ranked amateur in 2015.

However, he promptly finished third in the Quicken Loans National to book his place at Troon via the Open qualifying series.

"I want that, 'Oh my God I'm playing in the Masters' moment to be as short as possible," Rahm added.

"I don't want to get to my 12th hole and be like, 'Okay, we're three over par, let's get to work'. It happened at the British Open. It happened at Oakmont before I realized I was seven over.

"That's what I'm trying to focus on. Keep it like every other week, not give it more importance than I already know it has."