Who was the first European to win the Masters?

Seve Ballesteros was the first European to win the Masters.

Ballesteros made history at the 1980 Masters Tournament, becoming the first golfer from Europe to win the event. The 23-year-old Spaniard finished at 13-under-par 275, four strokes ahead of Jack Newton and Gibby Gilbert. His victory was his first green jacket and his second major championship.

Ballesteros began the final round with a seven-shot lead and expanded it to ten after the front nine. A difficult stretch through Amen Corner, including water balls at the 12th and 13th holes, briefly reduced his advantage to two strokes. He regained control with a birdie at the 15th and held on to win.

His success helped change the profile of European golf. Ballesteros later won the Masters again in 1983 and collected five major championships overall, including three Open Championships. Other European Masters champions followed, including Bernhard Langer, José María Olazábal and Nick Faldo, but Ballesteros was the pioneer. The wording refers to Europe geographically; earlier international champions from other regions are not European winners.