Jon Rahm is a player with the ability to turn his victories into real feats, such as winning the Mutuactivos Open de España for the second consecutive year, five strokes clear of second-placed Rafael Cabrera-Bello, with a score of 22 under par.
Each of the sections listed in the above statement includes within it a new challenge within the reach of only a few with the genius, ingenuity and overflowing ability of Jon Rahm, who has added his third title of the year and the tenth of a budding professional career – including a Ryder Cup – that began in July 2016.
The whole of his sensational performance at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid made it necessary to consult all kinds of archives to confirm that we are in front of a special player, of dimensions yet to be specified, with a future and an unapproachable capacity.
Jon Rahm once again fulfilled one of his dreams, to win the Spanish Open twice, in consecutive years, as Max Faulkner did in 1952 and 1953, the last one to achieve double glory in a row, a good proof of the difficulty of being the best in this tournament.
The Basque golfer has also equaled, with 22 under par, the lowest winning score in a Spanish Open, held by Kenneth Ferrie in the 2003 edition, at that time champion in a playoff against Peter Hedblom and Peter Lawrie.
The warmth of the Spanish public is only comparable to what I feel at the Ryder Cup…”, “from hole 1 everything has been incredible…”, “in the end I wanted to be selfish and enjoy them in the last five holes…”, “How can I not come next year,” he said with visible happiness in the press conference after his uncontested victory.
With a five-stroke lead at the start of the day over Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Samuel del Val, his teammates in the main match, Jon Rahm ratified the bases of his new triumph by force, without any concession, exhibiting an aggressiveness in his game far from conservatism, cheerful and confident in offering the best of himself in each of his strokes, generating waves of passion in the thousands of fans crowded in his path.
The eagle on the 16th hole of the third day that gave him wings just 24 hours earlier was followed by another eagle, this time on the 4th, the first of the numerous ovations that punctuated his game.
Just a few minutes later he accumulated another success, in this case a birdie on the 5th hole that inexorably widened a lead that did not stop growing despite the many efforts of Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Samuel del Val, whose good shots throughout the week, many of them in the last round, with special mention for the final stretch of the canary, five birdies in the last six holes, were rewarded with the second and third place to complete the Spanish podium.
As if that were not enough, the Spanish festival counted on the vibrant contribution of Adriá Arnaus, fourth classified, Sergio García, seventh, and so many others who once again made Spanish golf a reference on the European Tour.
Decided many holes before its conclusion, the tournament was transformed thanks to all into an emotional exhibition where, above many things, golf won again, once again becoming a mass spectacle, those thousands of fans who have already noted in their calendar a new unmissable event, October 15 to 18, 2020, when the Mutuactivos Open de España will be held again at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
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