After bidding farewell to the 2024 BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour came to the Villa Campo Golf Club in Madrid, the capital of Spain, to hold the Spanish Open. This is the first event held in Spain this season. Andalucia, Spain will also welcome the DP World Tour in late next month.

The Spanish Open ended successfully

Angel Hidalgo continued to lead in this game from the first round until the final round. The Spanish player achieved a 70-place jump in the Dubai Race Points by winning the Spanish Open to the current 18th place. In today's game, Jon Rahm, also a Spaniard, chased all the way and dragged the game into a playoff, which was held on the par-4 18th hole. The two players both caught birdies in the first round of the playoff, so they had to return to the tee together to start the second round of playoffs. In the second round of playoffs, Jon Rahm played steadily and still caught birdies, but Jon Rahm was not so lucky and lost with a par score.

Spanish Open Introduction

The Spanish Open is an event of the European Tour, with a long history and tradition. The Spanish Open has been held since 1953 and is usually held at different golf courses in Spain, such as Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Many famous champions have been born in the history of the Spanish Open, including Seve Ballesteros, a local golf legend in Spain, who once set a record of 50 European Tour titles. Jon Rahm is an outstanding representative of the Spanish Open in recent years. He won the Spanish Open in 2018, 2019 and 2022, tying Seve Ballesteros's triple crown record. However, the champion in 2024 was Angel Hidalgo, who defeated Jon Rahm in a playoff to win his first European Tour title. The Spanish Open has attracted many of the world's top golfers to participate, including those returning from the LIV Golf League, such as Jon Rahm. The participation of these players has increased the competitiveness and viewing value of the game. For many players, the Spanish Open is not only a chance to win honors, but also an important way to accumulate European Tour points and qualify for the Ryder Cup.

Spanish Open Highlights

First round. The first round of the Spanish Open ended in Madrid, Spain. Spanish player Angel Hidalgo won 1 eagle, 6 birdies and 2 bogeys, leading the first round by two strokes. Julian Gari, Sam Bostoff and Sepp Straka were ranked T2 with -4 strokes. Five Spanish players are in the top ten of the leaderboard. The 26-year-old Angel Hidalgo has never won the DP World Tour Championship. He is currently ranked 88th in the Dubai Race Points. If he wins this event, he will not only win the first DP World Tour Championship of his career, but will also rise 70 places to 18th in the Dubai Race Points. Angel Hidalgo quickly left the other players behind on the leaderboard after the start of the game. He caught a birdie on the 1st hole, and then the 5-hole 4th hole hit the green with two shots to catch an eagle. The three consecutive birdies on the 7th, 8th and 9th holes allowed him to turn the field with a score of 30. The par for the first nine holes was 36. He did not swallow any bogeys in such a wonderful performance in the first nine holes. After the turn, perhaps due to the decline in physical strength, he only caught two birdies. The second shot on the 15th hole landed the ball less than a yard from the hole, which attracted the fans on the scene. Although he swallowed two bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes, the advantage he established in the early stage was enough to keep him at the top of the leaderboard. Jon Rahm, who is only 29 years old, has won 10 championships on the DP World Tour and is now ranked 15th in the world. As one of the most anticipated players by local fans, he presented a wonderful performance to the fans in the first round. He had 5 birdies and only 2 bogeys, and tied for fifth place with a score of -3. Ashun Wu was in good form in the first round. Although he had bogeys on the 9th, 10th and 17th holes, he caught 6 birdies in the remaining 15 holes. The birdie on the par-4 5th hole was the most exciting. He hit the ball into the bunker with the first shot, and hit the ball from the bunker to the center of the fairway in front of the green with the second shot, which saved the danger. At this time, Ashun Wu could basically save par on this hole, but his third shot chipped the ball directly into the hole and ended the hole with a birdie. In the end, he tied for T5 with a score of -3 with 6 birdies and 3 bogeys. Haotong Li finished the game with a score of +1 with 4 birdies and 5 bogeys today, and he is currently ranked T41 on the leaderboard. Gu Xin Chen caught 3 birdies and swallowed 6 bogeys in the first round, and ranked T80 with a score of +3. Tommy Fleetwood, ranked 12th in the world, harvested 4 birdies and only had two bogeys on the 1st and 2nd holes after the turn. He tied for eighth place with a score of -2. 

Second round. The second round of the Spanish Open ended in Madrid, the capital of Spain. After two rounds, the qualifying line was set at +2 strokes, and a total of 69 players successfully qualified. Spanish player Angel Hidalgo scored -10 strokes and continued to lead the way with a four-stroke advantage. English player Joe Dean ranked second with a total score of -6 strokes. Spanish player Jon Rahm ranked third with compatriot Alfredo García, English player Sam Bostoff, American player Patrick Reed, and American player Julian Guerrier with a score of 5 strokes under par. Angel Hidalgo started from the 10th hole and caught two birdies in a row after the start. Although he unfortunately swallowed a bogey on the 12th hole because his tee shot fell into the long rough on the right, Angel Hidalgo adjusted his state and successfully caught a birdie again on the 14th hole. After the transition, he caught two birdies on the 2nd and 8th holes, and finally got 5 birdies and 1 bogey, 10 strokes under par, leading the way for two consecutive rounds. Ashun Wu's condition fluctuated. He unfortunately suffered a bogey on the 1st hole after the start, but he quickly adjusted his condition and successfully caught a birdie on the 4th hole and successfully caught an eagle at 9 feet from the hole on the 7th hole. After the transition, Ashun Wu seemed to be affected. He suffered a bogey on the 13th hole and a double bogey on the 15th hole because his tee shot fell into the fairway bunker. He only caught a birdie on the 12th hole. In the end, he tied for T14 with a total score of +1 stroke and -2 strokes with 1 eagle, 2 birdies, 3 bogeys and 1 double bogey. Haotong Li failed to find his condition and finished the game with a score of +2 strokes with 3 birdies and 5 bogeys. He is currently ranked T70 on the leaderboard and missed the cut. Jon Rahm started from the 1st hole. Although he unfortunately suffered a bogey on the 2nd hole, he quickly adjusted his condition and successfully put in an eagle putt on the par 5 4th hole. He got 1 eagle, 4 birdies and 4 bogeys in the second round. He tied for third place with a score of -2 strokes. Tommy Fleetwood played steadily, and he successfully caught birdies on the 1st, 4th, and 5th holes after the start. After the transition, he putted in a birdie from 11 yards away from the hole on the par 4 10th hole. He only had two bogeys on the 9th hole before the transition and the 13th hole after the transition. He continued to tie for eighth place with a score of -2. 

Three rounds. In the third round, local players took the top three in the leaderboard. Angel Hidalgo scored 5 birdies and 2 bogeys with a score of -3, a total score of -13, and ranked first with a 2-stroke advantage; his compatriot Jon Rahm scored 6 birdies and no bogeys with a score of -6, and ranked second with a total score of -11; another compatriot David Puig also scored 6 birdies and no bogeys with a score of -6, a total score of -10, and ranked third. England's Joe Dean and American player Patrick Reed tied for fourth with a total score of -8. Swedish player Jens Friebe and Spanish player Adri Arnaus tied for sixth with a total score of -7. After three rounds, Angel Hidalgo continued to play steadily and ranked first in the individual list. Shortly after the start of this round, Angel Hidalgo missed a 3-yard putt on the 2nd hole, but fortunately he made a 13-yard birdie putt on the 3rd hole and continued to make a birdie on the 4th hole. After the transition, the 26-year-old player had a bogey on the 12th hole, but he made another birdie on the next hole, and successfully made birdies on the 15th and 18th holes, and finally got a score of -3, entering the final round with a 2-stroke advantage. Chinese player Ashun Wu played averagely in this round. In the first 9 holes, he made a birdie on the 4th hole with four strokes. In the last 9 holes, he made bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes. Although he made a birdie on the 14th hole, he made a bogey on the 17th hole again. In the end, he returned 2 birdies and 2 bogeys with a total score of -1, ranking T38. Jon Rahm's driver had problems earlier in this round and needed to be repaired, but his performance was not affected by it, but improved. In the first nine holes, he made birdies on holes 4, 7 and 9; after the transition, the ten-time DP World Tour champion made birdies on holes 13, 16 and 18, and finally got a flawless score of 6 birdies and no bogeys. English star Tommy Fleetwood handed in a score of -1 with 2 birdies and 1 bogey in this round, with a total score of -5, ranking T9. 

Final. In the Spanish Open final, fellow Spanish players Angel Hidalgo and Jon Rahm dragged the game into a playoff with a score of -14, and Angel Hidalgo won the championship. Tommy Fleetwood, Joe Dean, Spanish player David Puig and a total of 6 players tied for T3 with a score of -10. Angel Hidalgo scored 4 birdies and 3 bogeys in the 18 holes of the final round, with a score of -1, and a total score of -14. His performance did not disappoint his efforts in the first three rounds, and he won a real and comprehensive victory. This championship is also the first DP World Tour championship in the career of 26-year-old Angel Hidalgo. For Angel Hidalgo, this championship means a lot: "Two or three years ago, I was cheering for Jon Rahm in the tree on the tee box of the first hole. I didn't participate in the competition, but just came to Madrid to watch the competition. I feel incredible to be here and win the competition. Oh, my God, it's incredible." Ashun Wu surprised the Chinese audience in the previous rounds, but in the last two rounds, Ashun Wu's state began to decline slightly. He swallowed 6 bogeys and caught 1 birdie in the final, and his score in the final round was +5 strokes, which made his ranking drop by 26 places. In the end, he ranked T64 with a total score of +4 strokes. Jon Rahm caught 7 birdies in the final round. Although he swallowed 2 bogeys and 1 double bogey, he still dragged the game into the playoff with a score of -3 strokes per round. Although he missed the championship, Jon Rahm was pleased with the peak showdown between the two Spanish players in the Spanish local competition: "Everything that happened today was helpful. Having such a final, no matter who wins, will help those children who are here or watching the game on TV to want to try playing golf and experience moments like today." Tommy Fleetwood made birdies on the 1st, 9th, 14th, 15th and 18th holes in the final. He completed the game with a perfect score of 5 birdies and 0 bogeys. The final total score was -10, tied for third place. This made his ranking in the Dubai Competition Points List rise to ninth place.

Summary

With Angel Hidalgo's thrilling victory in the overtime, the 2024 Spanish Open Golf Championship came to an end. This event not only witnessed the glory and passion of Spanish golf, but also showed the infinite charm of golf. Angel Hidalgo's victory is not only an important milestone in his personal career, but also the pride of Spanish golf. At the same time, we must not forget Jon Rahm's outstanding performance. His tenacity and perseverance on the court also won the respect and applause of the audience. In this Spanish Open, we saw the style of veterans and the rise of newcomers. Golfers from all over the world showed their skills and competitive spirit on this green field. The Spanish Open Golf Championship is not only a tournament, it is a tradition, a spirit that closely connects golf lovers from all over the world. Let us look forward to the future and look forward to more excitement and challenges brought by the next Open. Congratulations to Angel Hidalgo again, and thank all the players, staff and enthusiastic spectators who participated in this event. Golf Spanish Open, see you next year!