The Ryder Cup takes its toll on Jon Rahm at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Whether it’s a coincidence or not, the fact is striking. The golfer from Barrika has played the Open de España on the Black course of Javier Arana three times after the Ryder Cup, and all three times he has fallen short of victory. And all three times he has delivered a poor round. The facts don’t lie.
In 2021, after losing at Whistling Straits, he finished in 17th place and carded a 72 in the third round. In 2023, after winning in Rome, he finished ninth and carded another 72 on the second day. And now, in 2025, after winning at Bethpage, he is out of contention for victory and has signed for a 71 today. These are the only three times he hasn’t played under par at the Club de Campo. Coincidence? It doesn’t seem so. Interestingly, the only Ryder Cup year in which he won the Open de España was in 2018. The fact is that year the tournament was played in April at the Centro Nacional de Golf.
Rahm was making a charge this Saturday. It’s true he started with a bogey on the 1st hole, but by the 8th he had turned things around, was three under for the day, and had put himself in contention for the best of the moving day. Again, as happened to Puig and Ayora, everything ended on the 8th. Specifically, Jon’s round and, consequently, his comeback, blew up on the 11th hole. A devastating double bogey. He went into the green bunker on this tough par 3 and needed four shots to get it in the hole. The machine stalled and never got going again.
It seems Jon can’t quite get comfortable with the greens at the Club de Campo this year. He finds them hard, with difficult pins and somewhat inconsistent. He’s not quite getting to grips with them. Interestingly, he feels the course is very difficult, although he is actually in 28th place, meaning there are 27 players doing better than him.
Be that as it may, Jon is confident he has saved the best for last. He promises to give it his all on Sunday. He wants to finish as high as possible, why not in the top 10. Let’s not forget that it is very likely to be his last tournament in 2025, as he doesn’t intend to play the Dubai Final, even if he qualifies for that last tournament.
