– This Thursday marks the 97th edition of the Spanish Open. It will also be the thirteenth time it is held at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, although we are going to focus on the last four, which have been played consecutively at the Black course of the Club de Campo (2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, because in 2020 there was no Spanish Open due to the pandemic).
– One doesn’t need to be a genius to conclude that the dominator during this period has been Jon Rahm, with two victories (2019 and 2022). In addition, he was 17th in 2021 and 9th in 2023.
– Betting enthusiasts, take note: Jon is one of the very few players who have always made the cut in these four editions of the Club de Campo. The other four are: Edoardo Molinari, Grant Forrest, Zander Lombard and… Pablo Larrazábal. Lombard is not present this year (he is injured), but the other four are. We’ll see if anyone makes the five of a kind. Or if they all do.
– Lombard’s absence is more important than it seems. In addition to making all the cuts at the Club de Campo, it should be noted that he was 7th in 2019, 4th in 2022 and 2nd in 2023… In other words: he was a clear candidate for victory.
– Fifty players have finished in the top ten in these four editions. Eleven have been Spanish. One in five, rounding off.
– If we were to bet, the main favourite should be Matthieu Pavon, the current champion and second in 2022. It remains to be seen how much steam the Frenchman has left in this 2024.
– Given what we’ve seen in previous years, the contender for victory should know that you need to reach a score around -22 to take the prize. In addition, you need to reach a score around -14 to get into the top ten. In any case, it seems clear that to be second you have to sign a cumulative of -19, which is what happened in the last three editions. Seriously though, this time there’s a caveat: a lot of wind is expected on the first day, and quite a bit on the second, so maybe we need to think about another winning result. Maybe around -15, maybe -17 or -18, these guys are really good.
– Another name to keep in mind as a clear ‘outsider’: Fabrizio Zanotti. The Paraguayan has always been around the top positions, day by day, at this Club de Campo. The only year he didn’t, in 2022, is because he didn’t play… 12th in 2019, 12th in 2021 and 4th in 2023.
– Shane Lowry should be a clear candidate for victory, although it is the first time he plays at the Club de Campo… Simply because he is a great player who is also having the most consistent season of his career. But there is a fact to take into account that, in our opinion, reduces his chances a lot: this week is the eighth of the last nine in which Lowry is competing. He’s running on a very low battery and the Club de Campo, although not a terrible course to walk, is not exactly flat.
– However, Tommy Fleetwood looks fresher and with a fine game. Pay a lot of attention to the Englishman, who also knows the course.
– All the European winners of the Spanish Open at the Club de Campo have played the Ryder: Max Faulkner (won the Open in 1957), Sam Torrance (1982), Colin Montgomerie (1994), Seve (1995), Harrington (1996), Rahm (2019 and 2022) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (2021). Well, everyone except Sebastián Miguel, who won this tournament on this course in 1960, but at that time continental Europeans could not play the Ryder, only the British. There is another exception: Matthieu Pavon, defending champion this week. But let’s give the Frenchman some time, let’s give him some time…
– By the way, next year marks thirty years since Seve won the Spanish Open here (1995), which was his last victory on the DP World Tour. Therefore, it should not be just any anniversary.
