The world golf ranking was first published on April 6, 1986. That day there were four Spaniards in the top 100. Of course, at the helm of the Armada was Seve Ballesteros, in second place. In addition, José María Cañizares was 48th, Manuel Piñero was ranked 71st and Pepín Rivero was in 87th place.
From that historic day to today, a total of 13,757 days have passed and we have always had at least one of ours among the top hundred. Always is always. In fact, it is rare that there were not at least two. Only in two short and very specific periods of the history of the world ranking, Spanish golf has had only one player among the top 100. Well, now we are at risk of experiencing it for the third time. We are in danger of repeating a rarity. Jon Rahm is in third place, Pablo Larrazábal is 91st and Adrián Otaegui is just in 100th place. Hopefully it won’t happen, but obviously there is a clear risk that Rahm will be left alone in the danger in the coming weeks.
Since that April 1986, the first time that Spanish golf had only one player among the top 100 in the world was from December 22, 1996 to January 26, 1997. In those days, Miguel Ángel Jiménez was left alone in the club, around 70th place in the ranking. The second time was from June 21, 1998 to August 16, 1998. Not even two months. Then it was José María Olazábal who held the baton alone, located around 20th place in the ranking.
In total there have been 91 days with only one Spaniard in the world golf ranking. 91 days out of 13,757. On the one hand, it speaks of the important weight that the Armada has always had and, on the other, in view of the current situation, it points out that we have some difficulties among our middle class. Yes, Jon Rahm can almost do everything, fighting almost every week for the Number One in the world, but more players are missed who follow his wake and who more regularly and naturally occupy a place among the top 50 in the world. It is not easy, but Spanish golf has us wonderfully ‘spoiled’ for it.
In all this time, many Spaniards have passed through that top 100 in the world, led by Seve Ballesteros, Sergio García, José María Olazábal, Miguel Ángel Jiménez or Jon Rahm. For now, Sergio takes the palm, who was continuously among the top 100 in the world between July 4, 1999 and November 20, 2022, a total of 23 years and almost five months. A barbarity. And he left because he decided to join LIV Golf and stopped counting for the world ranking. Meanwhile, Rahm has been in the top 100 since he first entered on January 29, 2017.
We will see if in the coming days this negative statistic is repeated for the third time in the history of Spanish golf. It will depend on what happens at the end of this year and in the first weeks of 2024.
