They say (for whatever reason) that governments have 100 days before being subjected to a first evaluation. It’s something like a courtesy margin. Sport cannot afford such luxuries. The scrutiny is match by match, tournament by tournament. We’ve given Alex del Rey a few hours to enjoy the well-deserved victory he achieved this Sunday in Ras al Khaimah. After that margin, it’s time to set him some tasks, a few challenges that are the driving force for athletes.
Before the challenges, let’s first acknowledge his victory. The statistic is quite revealing. Throughout history, since 1972, a total of 391 Spaniards have played at least one tournament on the DP World Tour, of which only 35 have managed to win. We repeat: 35 out of 391. This reduces the success rate to 8.95%. In other words, not even nine out of every 100 Spaniards who have participated in the European Tour have managed to win. It’s incredibly difficult. Hats off, Alex.
With this necessary clarification, extendable to the other 34 heroes, it’s time to look ahead. We set three significant challenges for the Madrid golfer.
1.- The first is something no Spanish player has achieved. The matter is significant, as you will see. It’s about winning again the week after his debut as a champion on the DP World Tour. That is, lifting the trophy again this week in Bahrain. No Spaniard has done this. A major feat. If he achieves it, his name will be forever written in gold letters in Spanish golf. If no one has done it, you can imagine it’s something almost extraterrestrial. In any case, the only one who can achieve it this week is Alex del Rey.
2.- Finish in the top 10 the week after winning your first tournament on the DP World Tour. This club remains very exclusive, but at least it has some members. Of the 35 Spaniards, only seven have achieved it. One in five.
– Sergio García finished second in Scotland after debuting his record in Ireland in 1999.
– Seve Ballesteros finished third in Germany a week after winning in the Netherlands in 1976.
– Jorge Campillo finished third in the Volvo China Open a week after winning in Morocco in 2019. (Note this, as there was a significant journey in between).
– Antonio Garrido finished fourth in the Madrid Open after winning the Spanish Open in 1972.
– José María Olazábal finished fourth in Sunningdale seven days after winning in Switzerland in 1986.
– Jaime Benito finished seventh in the Spanish Open a week after winning the Portuguese Open in 1973.
– Miguel Ángel Jiménez finished ninth in Germany right after winning in Belgium in 1992.
Quite the seven players, don’t you think? Thus, the best result of a Spanish rookie champion on the European Tour the week after winning is Sergio García’s second place in Scotland. It should be noted, for clarification, that we only count those who played the following week. Many did not, for example, Jon Rahm.
3.- The third challenge is also tremendous. Only three Spaniards have achieved it in history, and when you see their names, you’ll say: “watch out, this is not within everyone’s reach.” They are José María Olazábal in 1986, Sergio García in 1999, and Jon Rahm in 2017. Quite something. The challenge is to win again in the season you debut your record. That is, for Alex del Rey to win again in 2025. Olazábal won in Switzerland and the Sanyo Open in El Prat; Sergio won in Ireland and Germany, and Jon did it in Ireland and the Dubai Final. The matter is quite significant, but Del Rey has plenty of time ahead. That’s the advantage of being diligent in doing your homework.
And so that not all the weight falls on Mr. Alejandro’s shoulders, we also set a challenge for the Armada as a whole, specifically for those who have not yet won on the DP World Tour. It is to surpass the year with the most first-time victories. The record was set in the 2007 season with the victories of José Manuel Lara, Álvaro Quirós, Pablo Martín, and Carl Suneson. Surpassing this figure is not easy, but at least we can dream of matching it… This is mainly for David Puig, Joel Moscatel, Manu Elvira, Ángel Ayora, Iván Cantero, Alfredo García Heredia, or Albert Boneta, although we welcome any other name. Obviously, Puig will have the hardest time due to the number of opportunities. Don’t you think that when you read the names, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched to reach five?
Finally, it must be highlighted that we are living in good times for first-timers. After all, a Spaniard has debuted his record in seven of the last nine years, starting with Rahm in 2017, who broke an eight-year gap (since Rafa Cabrera Bello in 2009). Spanish golf has never had such a good sequence of rookie winners on the European Tour. Between 2005 (Gonzalo Fernández Castaño) and 2009, we had five consecutive years of rookie champions, coinciding with the great generation of GFC, Álvaro Quirós, José Manuel Lara, Alejandro Cañizares, Pablo Martín, Pablo Larrazábal, or Rafa Cabrera Bello.
