Jon Rahm (-20) took him the title at the Open de España in his first attempt after shooting a 67 in the last round on the National Center course, surrounded by enthusiastic fans, at a two-shot advantage over Irish golfer Paul Dunne (-18) and three over Spanish golfer Nacho Elvira in the final showdown (-17). Thus, the golfer from Barrika has won his third victory in the European tour, the fifth of his career, although it’s quite notable that he’s won three of the six tournaments he’s played on the regular European Tour calendar (of a total of 19, counting Majors and World Championships).
The Spanish golfer, just as he mapped out on his drawing board in the best case scenario, started with birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes, gunning for Paul Dunne, leader at that time. From there on, it was always very tight, up until the very last holes with a tie at the top of the rankings between Rahm and the other Spanish golfer in the fight for the win, Nacho Elvira. A fantastic and decisive chip for birdie on the 10th hole opened up options for Rahm again, although Elvira responded with birdies on the 13th and 14th holes that evened out the score board.
The crucial and almost definitive moment happened during the first couple minutes on the 17th hole. First, Jon saved himself by a thread after hitting the ball in the water on this par 3, and just after, he pulled off an epic recovery; immediately, Elvira hit the ball in the water as well, and ended up with a double bogey, which left the path open for the win for the young golfer from Barrika. In any event, Rahm hit what was probably the best drive of the week on the 18th hole, par 5, making way for a 9 iron on the second shot, closing the tournament with an additional and definitive birdie.
All in all, Jon Rahm’s record continues to sore. He’s accumulated five victories in 45 professional tournaments and a total of 17 top 5s. His next event will be in two weeks at the Zurich Classic of the PGA Tour, with a new team play format, and Jon will be paired with his friend Wesley Bryan. Additionally, the Open de España win, in case there was any shadow of a doubt, practically secures Jon’s presence in the Ryder Cup this coming September in France.