The victory of David Puig seals a memorable start for the Armada in the DP World Tour. One tournament, one triumph. The 2026 season already has a Spanish champion, taking over from Josele Ballester‘s victory the previous week. Different tour, even different season, but shared joy that adds to the momentum left by Nacho Elvira and Ángel Ayora at the end of the European season.
It’s not the first time one of ours has taken the trophy that opens the season in the DP World Tour, in fact, it has been achieved ten times. Not bad considering the European Tour is navigating its 55th season. Every five to six seasons, one of ours takes the prize. The previous precedent was set by Pablo Larrazábal in the 2020 season (December ’19). For the two prior, we have to go back to Pablo Martín Benavides in the 2011 and 2010 seasons. The Spanish record in this is also held by a certain Severiano Ballesteros, who claimed this honour three times (1980, 1983, and 1988).
The question is… based on those numbers, do the thirteen Spaniards playing this week have any chance of winning? Six of ours start their season in South Africa, and the seven who competed in Brisbane last week are repeating at the Australian Open… Does history play in their favour? Has there been a national double at the start of the golfing year? Or perhaps we should surrender before even starting the battle. Barely 24 hours have passed since a victory, and the next one is already being discussed. Such is the madness of this sport, it doesn’t wait, it takes no prisoners.
Well, there is a case. Just one precedent. We have to dig, scratch, and go back a long way in time. Specifically, we have to go to the second season in the history of the European Tour. 1973. That year, Germán Garrido won the Madrid Open that opened the season, and a week later Jaime Benito did the same in the Portuguese Open. Since then, 52 years have passed, and it hasn’t been repeated. However, as mentioned, it has happened, Jaime Benito sets the path for the thirteen Spaniards competing this week. One in ten. A ten percent chance, therefore.
Moreover, if we delve deeper into the numbers and look at the latest precedents, the figures aren’t particularly buoyant. After Larrazábal’s victory in South Africa, none of ours finished among the top forty seven days later, and after Pablo Martín’s victory in 2011, no one made it into the top twenty, and only Martín Benavides himself made it into the top ten following his 2010 victory. Alejandro Cañizares appears in a modest top twenty that year at the South African Open.
From the aftermath of the last four inaugural victories, the best result is held by Pablo Larrazábal himself, who finished fourth in Hong Kong after Sergio García won the HSBC Champions. In total, those four tournaments accumulated two top tens and one top twenty. Sparse.
In the second tournaments of 1989, 1988, and 1977, no one made it into the top ten, just like in 2020 and 2011. Five out of ten to date. It’s not a minor statistic. Seeing the glass half full, there’s a fifty percent chance that one of ours will make it into the top ten. Considering there are also two shots with two different tournaments, there are many chances for it to happen.
There is room for optimism. Beyond Jaime Benito’s triumph in ’73, there’s another good harvest that serves as a mirror for inspiration. We’re talking about 1983. That year, three made it into the top ten of the Tunisian Open and another three into the top twenty. We like those numbers.
Based purely on historical data, David Puig should be ruled out for the contest since no Spaniard has achieved this double before, but of course, at the level shown at Royal Queensland, who dares not to include him in the predictions. Dean Burmester just two years ago is one of the examples that can triumph without issue in the initial double.
As mentioned, thirteen Spaniards are set to follow Jaime Benito’s path and break the bad streak of recent occasions. Get warming up…
