Ángel Hidalgo has become the 34th Spaniard to win on the European Tour this week. His first victory, moreover, was at home, in Spain, with a large part of his family present on the course. A week he will never forget.
However, sport does not forgive. There is no rest, neither in bad times nor in good ones. With hardly any time to savour the victory, Ángel Hidalgo is playing the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this week. He made it clear in the press conference after winning the tournament: “This victory does not alter my plans in the slightest. I wanted to play nine weeks in a row and that’s what I’m going to do”. In addition, the possibility of getting one of the ten PGA Tour cards is an added goal to fight for.
Taking advantage of the fact that Hidalgo is playing right after his first major professional triumph, one might wonder: how did the previous 33 Spaniards fare in the week following their first victory on the European Tour? Did they handle the victory hangover well? Did they decide to rest? Did any of them achieve their first two victories consecutively? It should be clarified that we are sticking to from 1972, the start of the circuit.
Of the previous 33, more than half (17) competed the following week. Of those 17, only three missed the cut (Pepín Rivero in the Open, Álvaro Quirós in South Africa and Adrián Otaegui in Wentworth). This data could surprise, as a victory demands a lot of effort and involves subsequent commitments and celebrations. However, the “hangovers” seem to be positive for our players. Or so the data say. The other 16 winners decided to rest or, simply, there was no DP World Tour tournament that week.
After reviewing one by one, we can affirm that Ángel could make history in Scotland. No Spanish player, not even Seve, has achieved their first two victories in consecutive weeks. The feat seems huge, especially if we also take into account the “black legend” that accompanies the Armada in the Alfred Dunhill Links.
Beyond the victory, Ángel has references in which he can look this week. The best Spaniard in this aspect is Sergio García, who, after winning the Irish Open in 1999, arrived in Scotland and finished in a spectacular second place, only behind Colin Montgomerie. If we continue reviewing, we find a certain Severiano Ballesteros. The Cantabrian won for the first time on the Tour in Holland and, just seven days later, finished third in Germany. Jorge Campillo emulated Seve, finishing third in China after winning his first title in Morocco in 2019.
The cast is still spectacular in this particular ranking. The great players are so for a reason: Chema Olazábal was fourth in the European Masters after his first victory in the Swiss Open, just like Antonio Garrido, who won the first Spanish Open under the umbrella of the European Tour in 1972 and was fourth in the Madrid Open a few days later. Miguel Ángel Jiménez was ninth after winning his first tournament in Belgium. A total of five top ten among the seventeen who competed, almost 30%. A great data with Sergio, Seve, Antonio Garrido, Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Jorge Campillo in the equation.
The last Spaniard to join the circle of winners was Adri Arnaus, who finished in 48th place in Belfry the week after winning the Catalunya Championship. For his part, Jon Rahm rested after winning the Irish Open.
Seve and Olazábal have won in consecutive weeks on the Tour, but it was not right after their first victory. The Cantabrian achieved the double in five occasions (1978, 1981, 1985, 1986 and 1991), and even in one of them he linked three consecutive victories (1986). The Basque achieved it in 1992, when he won the Tenerife Open and the Mediterrania Open in a row, both in Spain.
If we analyse by tournaments, a curious fact is that, of the first 34 victories, four have been in the Portugal Open. It is the tournament that has seen our players debut the most: Jaime Benito (1973), Salvador Valbuena (1976), Manuel Ramos (1977) and Pablo Martín Benavides (2007). The French, Belgian, Irish, German and Dutch Opens have had the honour of crowning a Spaniard for the first time on two occasions each. As a final detail, Ángel Hidalgo is the last of six Spaniards who have achieved their first victory on the Tour on home soil. Will the Andalusian be able this week to join his name to the great legends of Spanish golf?
