Spanish Open preview: Rahm eyeing up Seve record
The 41st stage of the DP World Tour will be hosted in Spain at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid for the Open de España.
Jon Rahm is looking for his fifth Spanish Open, which would see Rahm surpass Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros in wins at the tournament, edging one closer to the record of six held by Ángel de la Torre. A victory would also see Rahm close the gap on Rory McIlroy in the DP World Tour rankings, with the Ryder Cup teammates currently in first and second place on the tour with five events remaining.
Rahm is the heavy favourite going into today’s tournament, with the world number three set to receive a raucous reception from the home crowd after a superb 12 months on tour. In 2023, Rahm lifted the Ryder Cup, the Masters, three PGA titles and recorded a second-place finish at The Open Championship, earning ‘Rahmbo’ an estimated £13 million.
Touching tribute to Seve
Two weeks ago, Team Europe’s dressing room featured a space dedicated to Ballesteros, with his shirt pinned up alongside the twelve European competitors. There was also a quote on the wall from the late Ballesteros, which read:
”Seeing ourselves win, and wanting passionately to win are, I believe, the first steps to victory.’’
Ballesteros, who passed away in 2011 at 54 years old after battling a brain tumour, was honoured with a touching tribute at the first tee. A five-time Ryder Cup winner as player and captain, the patrons in attendance displayed a large tifo, with the Italian message under his picture reading ‘sempre nei nostril cuori’, translating to ‘always in our hearts’.
https://twitter.com/RyderCupEurope/status/1707995413402264011
Someone with history attached not only to the Open de España but to the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Ballesteros designed the Amarillo course. The Madrid venue last hosted the tournament in 2019 and was won by Rahm with a score of 22 under-par, five shots clear of his nearest competitor.
Other competitors in the field
Plenty of other great competitors feature in Spain this weekend. Team Europe vice-captains Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari will compete alongside other talented Spaniards Pablo Larrazabal, Adrian Otaegui and Jorge Campillo, all ranked amongst the world’s top 150. Victor Perez, the highest-ranked player on the DP World Tour besides Rahm will feature, with Justin Rose, one of Rahm’s teammates two weeks ago, also in Spain over the weekend.
Course history
A course steeped in history, the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has hosted some of golf’s biggest names. Winners in the past include Rahm, 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, former Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, former world number two Colin Montgomerie and the great Seve Ballesteros, who lifted the Spanish Open in 1995. The venue hosts hockey and tennis events, but the golf takes centre stage on Thursday, as Rahm looks for a historic fifth win in his homeland.
