Jon Rahm has landed at the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid with the unalterable halo of Spanish golf idol. His presence in the Spanish capital has been delayed until the last moment, motivated by his third fatherhood of a baby girl, a personal event that has marked his participation in this tournament in which he has already won three times, but which he is eager to win once again to surpass, among other things, the record of three triumphs harvested by Severiano Ballesteros.
“I’m proud to participate in the best Spanish Open I’ve ever been to”, said Jon Rahm in an impromptu press conference in which, as always, he generated a good number of headlines. In the atmosphere, despite the special conditions that have been generated around his participation in this edition, was well present his good moment of game, which has come to win two LIV Golf Tour tournaments, in Great Britain and Chicago, respectively, ratifying once again the quality of his game.
With changed sleep and a face that denotes a mixture of logical fatigue from a long trip from Arizona and joy for the birth of his third daughter, Alaia, Jon Rahm landed this Wednesday at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid to face “the best edition” of the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid. Here are some excerpts from his press conference:
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I am grateful for how well my daughter’s birth went.
“I’m grateful for how well everything went, for being able to bring the little girl home. Mentally I’m grateful that I can be here, that both mother and daughter are fine. It’s the first time I’ve played without having played the course before. I have traveled to Palm Spring before and competed without playing the course before, but I have played on courses in the area. I think it’s the first time I’ve played in these conditions.
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It has been a very good year
“I noticed a change in my game in Nashville, and then at Valderrama. Maybe it was before, in Houston, but that’s where I injured my foot. It has been a very good year, with two victories, twelve Top 10s in as many tournaments. I would have liked to play better in the Majors, but the year is good. There are certain moments of this year that have made me a little sad, some for reasons beyond my control, such as not being able to play the US Open.
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It is the best Spanish Open I have ever attended.
“It’s the best Spanish Open, by names, of the ones I’ve played. In addition, there is the defending champion (Matthieu Pavon), who has had a great year in America. Also Patrick Reed, who is one of the three best kickers in the world, although he may not be at his best right now. I like the fact that the Spanish public can see a golfer like him play. For me it is a source of pride that great players come to the Open in my country. I tell many players to come to Spain, but I don’t know if they pay too much attention to me”.
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I do not come with the expectation of a -6 or -7 this Thursday.
“It’s going to be complicated to win my fourth title because of the level of the players, because of the wind this Thursday and to see how I feel to play. I hope better than in today’s practice session. I haven’t played a club since Thursday, so tomorrow I don’t know what to expect from me. I don’t have the expectation of making a -6 or -7, as in other years. You don’t win the Open on the first day, so I’ll try to be in the middle range for the rest of the days. It makes me a little sad that the Spanish fans come to see me play like in Chicago and then…tomorrow I don’t think it will be like that, but well, if I wake up well and have rested, we’ll see if I can put myself in position”.
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I feel comfortable en the Villa de Madrid
“It’s a course I’ve really liked since I was an amateur. I think I’ve won with -25 and -21, so it’s a course I feel comfortable on.”
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I am optimistic about a possible agreement between circuits
“I hope that the fact that we have LIV players here this week will mark the beginning of a return to normality. In what happens in the offices I do not prick or cut anything. My goal has never been to be the savior of golf, I have not been part of the negotiations, as other players have been. My ideal agreement would be to return to a situation like the one we had before, that there is freedom: being a member of the European Tour I never had to ask permission to play anything, and in the PGA practically the same”.
“No LIV player can play the full PGA schedule, but if we start the LIV in February, yes I could play at least a couple of PGA tournaments in January, because I like them, I like golf, I’ve won them already and I know they are great tournaments. And I would like to come here (to the Open de España) without any problems and continue playing as a member of the European Tour that I am”.
“I don’t know anything about how the issue of fines is, but if I knew anything I wouldn’t be able to say either. I can only say that with the rumors in the last two weeks, I am more optimistic. I think there’s a good atmosphere now in golf, and as I was saying before I came into LIV, it’s an ideal time to do something really good not only for the players, but also for the fans.”
Fleetwood, Lowry, Pavon and Ballester, representatives of the best Spanish Open players in modern history
The ACCIONA Open de España has become a stage of concentrated expectation to levels rarely experienced in the past. It is no coincidence that, no matter how you look at it, thousands of details attract the attention of the fans, who have at their disposal the best line-up of players in the modern history of this tournament.
The centers of attention are multiplying like spores waiting for the start of the great battle. The arrival in extremis of Jon Rahm just released his third fatherhood; a possible fourth victory of the Basque player, who comes with recent victories in e
l LIV Golf UK and Chicago under his arm; the possible fifth Spanish victory in the last six years; 25 under par total as record of the Open de España; 61 strokes in the CC Villa de Madrid as the lowest round …, records and more records that provide unusual interest in an exciting edition before starting.
Four of them took part in the presentation press conference: the Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, Olympic silver medalist in Paris 2024, among many other things; the Irishman Shane Lowry, with seven wins to his credit; the Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, reigning champion… and José Luis Ballester, the brand new winner, for the first time in the history of Spanish golf, of the prestigious U.S. Amateur.
Authorities and golfers explained their feelings just hours before the start of the most sustainable event of the DP World Tour’s calendar.
Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, welcomed the players to the tournament and stressed the role of the tournament, and of the golf sector in general, as a tourist engine for our country. “1.4 million people come here every year. This Open is an example of sustainability, in which the cars are electric, there are no plastics… We know how to do things well in our country and in our city, as is always evident in the Open de España,” he said.
Joaquín Mollinedo, Acciona’s General Manager of Institutional Relations, Communication and Branding, also spoke along the same lines, emphasizing that “this tournament is not only a sporting event, but also a global benchmark in terms of sustainability. We have reduced emissions by 40 percent, always looking for nature-based solutions, and this year we will measure the water footprint of the event. We will generate more new water than we will consume,” he explained.
Gerard Tsobanian, President of the Acciona Open de España presented by Madrid, also celebrated the sustainable aspect of the event, but emphasized the purely sporting aspect: “It has been a challenge to bring these players, heavyweights who wanted to be here from the beginning, as they told me at the beginning of the year. Like a good wine, the tournament is maturing and growing, that’s why these champions are here,” he said.
The last personality to welcome the players was José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Mayor of Madrid, who said he could not remember “an Open de España with this level. We knew that Gerard was going to establish this tournament as one of the best, and he has not let us down. It is very difficult to see players of this level so close, and I tell you one thing: golf is not better seen on TV, it is better seen on the course, so we are waiting for you at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid”, he said.
Josele Ballester: “I am here to compete and learn”.
One of the most awaited moments was the return to Spain of José Luis Ballester, the amateur golfer in fashion after his victory in the US Amateur. The Spaniard from Castellón said he is coming back from “a very special month. It is incredible to return to Spain in this last year in Arizona. I have just won my first tournament in the United States, the one I like most of the year, and my wish this week is to compete in front of the fans and learn from these players”.
Alongside the Spaniard was Tommy Fleetwood, number 12 in the World Ranking and a lover of our country. “It is a great pleasure to be here for the second time in this tournament. It is a place where there are always many fans, and this year we have great players. I think it’s going to be a very interesting tournament,” he predicted.
Irishman Shane Lowry spoke in similar terms about a tournament “that he has watched on TV since he was a kid. I really wanted to be in Madrid, it’s a city I love. I expect a lot from the Open de España”, he concluded.
The event also included the testimony of the tournament’s defender, Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, whose life changed a year ago. “It’s a pleasure to be here, where everything turned around for me. It’s a great honor to play in Spain because my grandfather was from Madrid. It was a great victory last year. Then I’ve been taking steps forward in the PGA. Madrid will always be special to me,” he said.
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AROUND THE GREEN
Jon Rahm, with Pavon and Straka, at 2:00 p.m.
This Thursday the action starts, from two tees, at 8:30 in the morning. On one of them, specifically from the 10th hole, the Olympian David Puig will tee off early, opening the course in that area of the course. Barely 10 minutes later, also from the 10th tee, José Luis Ballester, winner of the US Amateur, enters the scene, in his case with Richie Ramsay and Yannik Paul as partners. From that moment on, many other interesting matches to choose from according to the tastes of the spectators. Where there is consensus is that hole 1, at 14:00 hours, will be crowded. At that time Jon Rahm tees off alongside Frenchman Matthieu Pavon -vigent champion- and Austrian Sepp Straka.
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Spaniards at the top of the podium
Álvaro Quirós in the 2010 edition; Miguel Ángel Jiménez in 2014; Rafael Cabrera-Bello in 2021; and Jon Rahm, three times in 2018, 2019 and 2022, are the latest Spaniards to appear on the list of winners of the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid, six triumphs in the last twelve events that highlight the strong protagonism of Spanish golfers in the last stage of the history of this important tournament.
The Ryder Cup, very present in the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid
Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka have talent, class and one more thing in common: all five participated last September in the European victory at the Ryder Cup in Rome. A nice souvenir that gives the tournament even more importance.
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The photo you should never miss
It is a tradition that before the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid the Armada meets to take the family photo that should never be missed. On the 18th green, where the winner will be announced on Sunday, Ángel Hidalgo, David Puig, Josele Ballester and Co. gathered. Laughter, hugs, reunions and good vibes before the battle begins. Jon was absent, yes, at that time in the United States pending his third paternity, but there was no lack of class.
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