(Image by: jonrahm)
After two dramatic weeks at the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship the DP World Tour rolls onto the Spanish Open for yet another hugely anticipated week of action.
For decades Spain has been the heartbeat of European golf and has produced some of the finest champions that the continent has ever produced. Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and most recently Jon Rahm have all left an indelible mark on the game.
First played in 1912, the list of previous winners is impressive with the likes of Ballesteros, Rahm, Nick Faldo, Arnold Palmer, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Bernhard Langer all managing to get their hands on this famous prize.
Set to take place at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, precious Race to Dubai ranking points are up for grabs as well as the prize of one of the the most prestigious titles on the European Tour.
Ahead of what is bound to be a fantastic day of golf, here is everything you need to know.
The Course
This isn’t the first time that the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has hosted the Spanish Open as this will be the tenth time in the tournament’s history that it will welcome some of Europe’s finest players to its doors.
Opened back in 1956, the course is fairly generous in how it is laid out and you can be assured that the winning score will be low. It will be no surprise if the winning score is somewhere in the region of -20 or even lower.
With wide fairways and accessible greens, the course measures at just over 7,200 yards, but due to its altitude, even the shortest of hitters will find themselves able to bomb the ball an absolute mile.
Offering a raft of picturesque views, prepare yourself for plenty of birdies and any player that fails to get the flat stick firing could find themselves in for a tricky week.
The Favourites
(Image by: officialtommyfleetwood)
With the Race to Dubai reaching its final stretch, the 2024 Spanish Open represents another vital opportunity for players to amass some crucial points as they try to chase down Rory McIlroy at the top of the standings.
One man who will start as the bookmakers favourite but won’t be bothered about the Race to Dubai points on offer is hometown hero Jon Rahm. Rahm’s inclusion in the field is significant for a variety of reasons. The first is that he wants to win his home open for a third time, but perhaps more importantly is that his willingness to play this week is a good sign for European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
In order to be eligible for selection for next year’s showpiece event, players need to have played at least four DP World Tournaments, Rahm’s appearance will take him one place closer to achieving that magic number and by the time that next year’s Ryder Cup takes place he should have comfortably filled his quota - therefore making himself available to be selected.
However, due to his decision to play for LIV, Rahm has outstanding fines that he needs to pay and if those fines aren’t settled, his Ryder Cup spot could be in some jeopardy.
With all that noise in the background, it remains to be seen how Rahm will handle this week, missing in last week’s LIV Tour finale due to illness, the individual LIV Champion will hope to lay down a serious marker that he is still one of Europe’s best players. With the Spainaird set to be welcomed back to the European fold with warm arms and the bulk of the home crowd in his corner, we can expect a big week from the two time major winner.
Another man facing a similar predicament is Rahm’s Ryder Cup and LIV teammate Tyrell Hatton. Like Rahm, Hatton has enjoyed a brilliant debut season on LIV and has clearly established himself as one of the Tour’s best players.
Like Rahm, Hatton has serious hopes of playing in next year’s Ryder Cup and he is also keen to tick off the tournaments so that he makes himself eligible. Hatton has been more of a regular on the European Tour in recent months, teeing it up at the British Masters when he finished in a tie for 18th.
Unlike Rahm, Hatton has a lot more pressure on his side. Unable to qualify for the majors due to winning one in the past, Hatton needs his world ranking to remain high if he is to qualify directly for the game’s biggest prizes. Now ranked 38 in the world, the Englishman could do with a big week to help him climb up the rankings.
Having been in great form over the past few months he has the capabilities to play well this week.
Completing the top three in the betting is another European Ryder Cup stalwart, Tommy Fleetwood. An almost certain lock to make Luke Donald’s side for next year’s event, now is the time for Fleetwood to start winning titles. A winner earlier this year down in Dubai, his wait for a first major or PGA Title has continued and for a man of his talents it remains almost unfathomable that he is yet to make his breakthrough.
Currently 13th in the Race to Dubai standings, the Englishman will hope to catapult himself into the top ten with a big week here.
Are There Any Decent Value Options?
(Image by: seppstraka)
As always in tournaments like this, there is usually plenty of value that can be found and had. At 25/1 Sepp Straka could be a real player.
A key part of last year’s victorious Ryder Cup side, the burly Austrian hasn’t quite been able to repeat his 2023 PGA heroics, but he will want to offer a timely reminder of his talents. A huge hitter, he has the capacity to overpower the course this week and if he can ensure his putter is in fine working order, there is nothing to suggest that he can’t contend over the next few days.
Another man who deserves serious consideration is Shane Lowry. The former Open Champion has had a great year on the PGA Tour, finishing inside the top ten of the FedEx Standings for the very first time in his career. Not the biggest of hitters, the altitude this week should help him and he heads to Spain in decent form. Successive twelfth place finishes at both the Irish Open and BMW PGA isn’t to be sniffed at and he easily has the abilities to shoot a really low score this week.
Spanish Open Betting
If you fancy placing a bet this week, here is how the top ten of the Spanish Open currently looks
Jon Rahm - 3/1
Tyrell Hatton - 9/1
Tommy Fleetwood - 9/1
Aaron Rai - 12/1
Shane Lowry - 14/1
Matt Wallace - 18/1
Patrick Reed - 22/1
Matteo Manassero - 22/1
Matthieu Pavon - 22/1
Sepp Straka - 25/1
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
