Jon Rahm and Adri Arnaus, friends forever and always

Historic weekend (another) for Spanish professional golf with victories on Mother’s Day, first for Catalan adri arnaus (nice word from Moià and trained in the Can Cuyàs he dedicated to his mother) in the playoffs of Catalonia Championship ng tour of Europe (his premiere on the DP World Tour) and a few hours later from his friend Jon Rahm within Mexico Open in Vidanta ng PGA Tours, the seventh Basque title on the American circuit. Arnaus is the 33rd Spaniard to win at least one European Tour tournament (the first was Antonio Garrido in 1972 in Pals, Girona); and this is Spanish golf’s 198th victory on the circuit.

A very good victory for Spanish golf, where Rahm combined for world number 2, and with Arnaus on the border in the top 50 (he climbed to 52nd place) in the rankings, which will open the doors to four that Grand Slam and, above all, the Augusta Masters. The PGA already has it insured, the US Open almost and the British are very good on the track. Both coincided with the national teams in their amateur stage, they were just the same age, 27 years old, and they were also both mental coaches, it is known. Joseba del Carmen.

“This year I will soon win the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and the Farmers in Torrey Pines, but not like that. I kept working very hard, even though the result didn’t come, that’s why I’m so happy now. I’m tired of answering questions about statistics, the putt, the short game, this and that, ”Rahm said in a press room in Vidanta Vallarta, in the Mexican Pacific.

“I said at the beginning of the week that to get back to world number one I have to start winning tournaments, hopefully this victory will help me regain number one, and I am confident this is the way”, added the smiling Basque , with seven wins already on the PGA Tour and six consecutive seasons winning at least one event per year since 2017, in its 123 circuit tournament played with as many as 60 top 10 finishes. Jon is already 6th in the FedEx Cup.

“I know I’m getting better and this week has shown. I think the Sunday I played Tiger in Augusta gave me a little bit of confidence. I’m very technical in my approach, when I’m mostly a feel player, so on Sunday I told myself I just had to get out there and hit the golf ball, draw shots, imagine the ball flying and execute.And in this last round, I was able to play three under par on a difficult day and I’m not in the best of moments ”, highlights Biscayan, where this is his fifth top 10 in 2022: a win, a 2nd, a 3rd, a 9th and 10th in 11 tournaments.

Arnaus, for his part, felt great relief, he lost a huge weight on his shoulders, winning the playoffs at PGA Catalunya after a few shots in the post: he was 2nd out of three times in 2019 ( Kenya, Andalucía Masters and Czechia) and lost at the Spanish Open in Madrid in the playoffs in 2021 (Rahm was the first to go to Adri to comfort and encourage him after losing to Rafa Cabrera) and the South African Pecanwood Classic in 2022 (victory of Pablo Larrazábal ).

“It was a dream come true. I’ve been looking for it for a long time and it has cost, but it has finally come. I’ve played very good golf and to do it here on this course is special. From minute zero, I felt the strength of people who came to support me, and I played wonderfully.It was a great team effort, sometimes they encouraged me and sometimes I encouraged them; I found myself capable of putting up those “Putts and they encourage me. It’s a victory that we all share together, because I’m sure I wouldn’t be here without them, without my team”, said an emotional Arnaus after lifting the trophy to his second ‘home’ (he trained at PGA Catalunya during the summer months and had an apartment in nearby Girona that would replace his residence in Dubai).

The second day I got into trouble (76 hits), but we learned, that’s really it, learning, reflecting and being able to get the good out. Ultimately it’s about trying to get as low as possible and see what others have done. I wasn’t really focused on what they were doing until I finally thought ‘maybe I’ll have a chance’. Having all my friends here allows me to play well in the last three holes ”, Adri reflected.

“I was very calm when we came out of the playoffs. Later I was more nervous, but this time I was calm, and I left with the mentality to start all over again. He was very clear on what he should do. When I won, I lowered the putter, clenched both fists, (as he did when he won the Grand Final of the Challenge Tour in 2018), but this time I celebrated with my caddy (Xabi Gorospe). It was great, a relief. I have been chasing it for a long time and I got it here, at home, with friends and family watching me ”, added Adri. In addition to Joseba del Carmen and Gorospe, his swing coach is important to his team Ignatius Garrido and his agent at IMG Gorka Guillen .

With this victory, Arnaus climbed to 6th place in the Race to Dubai and made a qualitative leap in the world rankings. “One of my goals is to get into the top 50 in the world. I feel like I need to be there.” Adri achieved Spain’s third victory this year on the DP World Tour and the second in a row, something that hasn’t happened since Jon Rahm won the Irish Open followed by Rafa Cabrera at the Scottish Open in 2017.

The history of some doubles on the same day

Spanish golf achieved a triple victory on the same weekend in 2019. Several professional golf doubles were achieved simultaneously (one Sunday), but never three. Furthermore, not even a double victory was achieved in the same country and in two different competitions.

Jon Rahm, who partnered with American Ryan Palmer, achieved his third tournament on the PGA Tour by winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, against the pair formed by Sergio García and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood. And Rahm’s success was helped by Morocco’s double victory Nuria Iturrioz Y Jorge Campillo. The Balearic golfer won the Lalla Meryem Cup, an event on the Ladies European Tour, her second victory on the Circuit and the same tournament where she debuted her record as a rookie three years ago. In addition, Jorge Campillo, from Cáceres of Andalusian descent, ended his long wait to win his first European Tour title, in his 229th tournament.

Spanish golf has previously experienced other days of glory in this regard in 2018. Sergio Garcia took the first round of the new Asian Tour calendar, the Singapore Open, and twelve hours later, several thousand kilometers away, Jon Rahm achieved the fourth victory of his career, the second on the PGA Tour after the 2017 Farmers Insurance Tomorrow. A double that hasn’t happened in 13 years. The last time two Spanish players won on the same day two tournaments on different circuits, Sergio was the star, then 25 years old, and won his sixth event as a professional player, the Booz Allen Classic on the PGA Tour, while the June 12, 2005 was an important date for the man from Madrid Gonzalo Fernandez Castano who, at the age of 25, also achieved his first European Tour success on the Dutch course of Hilversumche. A double also a year ago, in 2004, on May 16, took place with Sergio García again as the main character but this time it was ‘Pisha’ Miguel Angel Jimenez, as doublet partner. García won the Byron Nelson Classic on the PGA Tour on Sunday while Jiménez won the Asian Open on the European Tour in Shanghai, on a spectacular final day.