Rahm Seeks Fourth Spanish Title In Just A 10th Spanish Showing

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World No. 14 Jon Rahm this week tees-up on home soil for a second occasion in a month looking to capture a fourth Spanish DP World Tour event in just 10 Spanish starts.

The 2023 Masters champion is the standout competitor in this year’s 10th hosting of the Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters and being played for a second year running on the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande at San Roque on Spain’s sun-splashed Costa-del-Sol.

It is Rahm’s second start in the event that was first staged in 2010 and has been won in the past three times in succession by Spanish compatriot Sergio Garcia (2011, 2017 and 2018) while Adrian Otaegui won in 2022 at nearby Valderrama.

Joining Rahm this week as a first and second round playing parters is another Spaniard in Angel Hidalgo, who defeated Rahm last month in a play-off for the Spain Open title while in-form Dane Rasmus Hojgaard is the third member of the group.

Also teeing-up is a same group is England’s Dan Bradbury, winner of last week’s FedEx Open de France, along with Sweden’s Jesper Svensson, who led the French event for three rounds while Italian sensation Matteo Manassero makes up the trio.

The always popular Pablo Larrazabal is naturally competing, so too is Austrian Bernd Weisberger and Nicolai Hojgaard.

Big disappointment is the non appearance of Poland’s and now LIV star Adrian Meronk, winner of the event a year ago with the only two invitations afforded to Spain’s Alvaro Quiros and Nicolai Hojgaard.

Rahm, who turns 30 early next month, enjoys an incredible record of DP World Tour competition in Spain and something that not even Spanish golfing hero Seve Balleseros could match.

Rahm made his Tour debut on ‘home’ soil at the 2017 Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters but missed the cut in failing to break 70 but then in his next Spanish event, the 2018 Open de Espana the now double PGA Tour and DP World Tour champion posted a blistering third round 63 that helped him win the 106th year anniversary of Spain’s major golf tournament.

A year later in 2019 Rahm did something that has been done just one before by legendary Frenchman Arnaud Massy in 1927 and ’28, and that was to win back-to-back Spanish Open trophies though he then matched Seve in 2022 capturing a third Open de Espana title.

Rahm’s record in Spanish events impressively reads:

Missed Cut – 2017 Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters (Debut Spanish start)

1st – 2018 Open de Espana

1st – 2019 Open de Espana

2nd – 2019 Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters

Missed Cut – 2021 Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters

T17th – 2021 Open de Espana

1st – 2022 Open de Espana (Win No. 3 – to match Seve Ballesteros with three wins)

T9th – 2023 Open de Espana

2nd – 2024 Open de Espana

That is nine Spain showings – three wins, two seconds, a T9th, a T17th and two missed cuts.

In comparing Seve’s ‘Spanish record’ he first played in nine Spanish Open’s (1974 to 1979) and also three Madrid Open when two weeks after capturing the 1980 Masters by four shots, when Seve again endeared himself to home fans by finally winning at home with success in the Madrid Open (His then 12th DP World Tour title).

Seve’s final worldwide victory toast was the 1995 Spanish Open success and his eighth victory in Spain along with his 50th on the DP World Tour and a 90th pro career title.

Of course, it was not too long ago Spain boasted seven DP World Tour events a season whereas nowadays it is just two.

Nonetheless, Rahm’s ‘Spanish victory career’ looks very healthy though ‘Rambo’ still has 68 global titles to collect if he’s to match the legendary Seve.

And looking ahead to this week the Basque-born player dreams of putting on a good show for the Spanish fans, and of winning a title that has eluded him on the three occasions he has played the Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters. His best result, as we report above, being a tied second place in the 2019 edition.

Local hero Jon Rahm looks to capture a fourth ‘home’ tournament is just 10 DP World Tour ‘Spanish starts’ – Photo Marcos Moreno

“Playing in Spain is special and fun, perhaps mentally harder because you want to do well more, but that tension has made me experience very good Sundays like those of the victories in the Spanish Opens of 2018, 2019 and 2022 and even the last Open, although I didn’t win, was very emotional for Ángel Hidalgo”, said Rahm

And after a week of rest and being home with his latest child, he arrived at the RCG Sotogrande with his batteries charged.

“The children had holidays so I have been more of a father than anything else and I have had a lot of fun”, he said smiling. “Mentally I have rested a lot and I have come with great desire to this last tournament of this year in Spain.”

About to turn 30 (November 10th), Rahm takes stock and does not believe that all the events he has experienced in golf have changed him much.

“Every day you learn something new and have new experiences, but my essence as a person has not changed”, he said.

“I think that going to an ikastola in the Basque Country, in Bilbao, to study in Madrid at the age of 15 was a very big change for me. Simply, the change of studying in Spanish was very difficult.

“Then, going to the United States. I think that those two changes were bigger than what has happened to me as a professional until now.”

 

 

 



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