In 110 years of history – the first edition was played in 1912 – and now only 50 years since it was one of the founding tournaments of European Tour in 1972and also among the famous golfers among its winners – without going any further Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahmthey all won a stack of Grand Slams-, the Spanish Openknown as the Open, will be held this Thursday through Sunday at Madrid Country Club.
And with the incentive of the presence -unique this year in Spain- of former world no. 1 Jon Rahm, and double winner of the Open in 2018 and 2019. The Basque, with a cold and jet lag but that did not stop him from playing the Pro-Am on Wednesday, is the star this week as the DP World Tour returns to our country.
His compatriot and defending champion Rafael Cabrera he also returned to see if he could lift the trophy again and they were both joined by the British Ryder Cup Tommy Fleetwood and many players looking for a good end to the season. There will be 28 Spaniards in total.
The current No. 6 in the world isn’t the only top-ranked golfer playing this week at tour of Madrid work by Javier Arana, but has an excellent home Open record. He won on his debut at Centro Nacional in 2018 and had no problem adjusting to the move to Club de Campo de Madrid, successfully defending the title a year later.
Since those victories he has become the No. 1 in Europe, No. 1 in the world, won a major (USA Open), was a key player on the Ryder Cup team, and fathered two children. His passion for the Open has always been hidden.
Winner this season of PGA Tour’s Mexico Open at Vidanta and with a recent second-place finish at the BMW PGA Championship, it’s no wonder Rahm is considered by many to be the man to beat.
Jon’s goal is to match the three titles of bad luck Seve Ballesteroswho achieved victory in 1981, 1985 and 1995 -the last of his 50 on the European Tour-, but also to include his name in the historical Spanish Angel of the Towerwhich won three times in 1916, 1917 and 1919 -the 1918 edition was not held-, and Marcelino Morcillo, who continued to put his name in the base of Open winners between 1946 and 1949, although in 1947 the lowest result was achieved by the amateur Mario González, ahead of the aforementioned Black pudding. They are, therefore, at other times.
The 28 Spaniards will once again be supported by a crowd that is expected to pack the tournament facilities over four days, as was the case last year, where more than 42,000 tickets were sold. Cabrera and adri arnaus (2nd in 2021) left again, with Rahm, in a list of favorites that extends to some more ‘Spanish’ such as Pablo Larrazábal, Jorge Campillo, Álvaro Quirós or Alejandro Cañizares.
AWARDS (LAST 30 YEARS) *
2021 Rafa Cabrera Country Club of Madrid
2020 is NOT PLAYED
2019 Jon Rahm Madrid Country Club
2018 Jon Rahm RFEG National Center
2017 NOT PLAYED
2016 Andrew Johnston Royal Club Valderrama
2015 James Morrison Royal Golf Club El Prat
2014 Miguel A. Jimenez PGA Catalunya Resort
2013 Raphaël Jacquelin Parador of El Saler
2012 Francesco Molinari RCG of Seville
2011 Thomas Aiken Royal Golf Club El Prat
2010 Álvaro Quirós Royal Golf Club of Seville
2009 Thomas Levet PGA Catalunya Resort
2008 Peter Lawrie Royal Golf Club of Seville
2007 Charl Schwartzel RFEG National Center
2006 Niclas Fasth San Roque Club
2005 Peter Hanson San Roque Club
2004 Christian Cevaer Fuerteventura GC
2003 Kenneth Ferrie Golf Costa Adeje
2002 Sergio Garcia El Cortijo Country Club
2001 Robert Karlsson Inn of El Saler
2000 Brian Davis PGA Catalunya Resort
1999 Jarmo Sandelin Royal Golf Club El Prat
1998 Thomas Bjorn Royal Golf Club El Prat
1997 Mark James Golf La Moraleja II
1996 Padraig Harrington Country Club
1995 Severino Ballesteros Country Club
1994 Colin Montgomery Country Club
1993 Joakim Haeggman RACE
1992 Andrew Sherborne RACE
* In 1972 the Spanish Open was one of the founding tournaments of the European Tour (now known as the DP World Tour)
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
