The Madrid Plaza de Cibeles, with an improvised stage in front of the Madrid City Hall, was the chosen location this Tuesday for the official presentation of the Open de España presented by Madrid, a DP World Tour tournament taking place from Thursday to Sunday. A very special edition of our country’s prestigious open as the winner will automatically secure a spot in the 2026 editions of the Masters Tournament and the Open Championship.
Inmaculada Sanz, deputy mayor of the capital, Juan Guerrero Burgos, president of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Gerard Tsobanian, tournament president, Jon Rahm, three-time event winner, and Ángel Hidalgo, defending champion after his thrilling victory last year in a tense playoff against the one from Barrika, were responsible for the grand opening of this new edition of the tournament.
Tsobanian opened the presentation by highlighting the tournament’s growth: “For us, it’s the sixth edition of the Open and the presence of big names is crucial, in capital letters. Fans want to see the best players in the world. If they come here, there are more media, more fans, and it’s a success. I want to highlight and sincerely thank Jon for being here with my team for the past six years, fully supporting this tournament. I thank him because he is a great champion, a great support, and the greatest representative of Spanish golf. His presence is crucial, thanks to him other great champions come.”
“This year we have Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed and of course Ángel, the tournament winner, an elite group of champions in a tournament that represents the whole country. A tournament with such a great history that it is an honour for me and my team to organise it. Thanks to the City Hall for their international support and each year the tournament grows, like the tennis one we started 24 years ago. More established, more recognised, and the important thing is to continue with this great event. Congratulations to the new president of the RFEG, I hope he is happy with our team,” he concluded.
After this reference, it was Juan Guerrero‘s turn, who said: “I want to thank the City Hall for their support of golf. This is my home because I am from Madrid, but thank you very much. Thanks to Gerard because without his effort as a promoter we wouldn’t be at the level of golf we have. I’ve already told Jon personally, he has supported the Open de España and Spanish golf from the very first minute, he has come to the limit in some circumstances.”
“And very briefly, because you all want to hear Jon and Ángel, just to say that the Open de España is very old, from 1912, the second oldest continental event, it has been won by Seve, Jiménez, Sergio, of course Jon, Quirós, who is recovering from an injury, Rafa Cabrera and Ángel Hidalgo. And it has been won by a world golf figure like Arnold Palmer, who like Seve and Tiger have evolved the sport of golf from a spectacle to an industry. I want to remember Seve, as always, and I would like to say that the Open is the only continental tournament that gives direct access to the Masters and the British. That recognition is due to the promoters and the players who contribute to making this event bigger and bigger,” he concluded.
The defending champion, Ángel Hidalgo, was full of praise for his friend Jon, with whom he fought to the end for victory in 2024: “I won’t deny that the victory was incredible, for where it was, for all the public that came, for being against Jon, who is possibly the most relevant player from Spain since Seve, which adds a plus to what happened. In golfing terms, it hasn’t been my best year since that playoff, but I’m delighted to be here, coming as the defending champion for me is the first time, I don’t know how I’ll feel on Thursday, but looking forward to it and eager to enjoy the course, which I’m sure is amazing.”
After the defending champion, it was Jon’s turn, who not only spoke about the Open de España but also about the legends of Spanish golf and his recent participation in the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where Europe once again triumphed: “Thank you all for what you have said about me. You make it very easy to come and play and have a good time. I would ask for a big round of applause for Gerard because the change he has brought to the tournament and the treatment we players receive is incredible. For me, it’s easy to sell the Open de España. You won’t have better food than this week and that’s the truth. The rest, the course is a beautiful design, Madrid is easy to sell because there are few cities more beautiful, better weather, few.”
“And to Angelito… I don’t know if the best since Seve, we won’t leave Chema aside, nor Sergio. There have been many ahead of me and I hope to be one more on the list of those who come in the future because without Seve there wouldn’t be a Jon,” added the one from Barrika before talking about what happened a couple of weeks ago in New York in one of the toughest tournaments remembered in the clashes between Europeans and Americans.
“The Ryder, yes, my most tense and special moment is that first point in the Ryder against Tiger. It wasn’t clear, but it looked like we were going to win. But this week in New York was the toughest week of my career, but the most fun. How we faced it as a team, how we came together, and still, it’s mentally difficult what it was going to be, the crowd… It was inhospitable, sometimes I couldn’t believe it, a non-stop from the moment you arrived until you left. It’s compared to football, the noise of 50,000 people, but in my case, every step you took, you heard everything, if you missed the fairway they were all there telling you what came to their minds. It was madness. The luck is that we handled it very well and played better as a team. It’s going to be hard to surpass that week. I don’t know how there can be a week that improves it, the only one, the 2031 Ryder in Spain, which will be more special for me. I don’t know how to improve what we went through that week and end up winning,” he concluded.
The deputy mayor of Madrid thanked everyone for their presence, starting with the organisers: “They have managed to consolidate this tournament as one of the most important. Politics has difficult days, but others like today, being among these amazing players who have given us so much enjoyment. How we suffered the other day, Jon, but we had the hope that you would bring the Ryder home and now it is.”
“For Madrid it is important how golf has been consolidated, the second most federated in the region, the most played women’s sport. It is increasingly enjoyed, this event has been consolidated, we have the F1, the NFL, the Tennis Open… We have international level sports that have consolidated us, top 5 in elite sports, and we will continue that line. And that makes the kids from schools and clubs practice all day to be Jon Rahm. We will continue to take care of sport because it is the Madrid brand. Words like those said by Jon are priceless for us,” she concluded.
