Dubai: Former DP World Tour Championship winner Jon Rahm returned to the summit of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings after successfully defending his Open de Espana title with a dominant display in Madrid.
The 2018 Ryder Cup rookie, who secured a record third Rolex Series title earlier this year at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, posted a spellbinding 63 to tie the course record at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid in the third round. The 24-year-old followed this with a commanding 66 on Sunday to secure the win.
“In front of a home crowd, it’s always really hard for me to keep everything under control and to play the weekend that I did for them, it’s always really fun,” said Rahm, who is now the fastest Spaniard to five European Tour wins — just 39 starts — achieving the feat in ten fewer events than Spain’s great Seve Ballesteros.
“He (Ballesteros) did turn pro a lot earlier than I did so, age-wise, I think he’s beaten me. Still, to beat Seve in something, it’s unbelievable. He’s one of the main references from European golf and world golf in general.
“It’s great that I’ve done it here, to beat Seve’s record with his last professional win being at this course as well, it’s very special for me. Any time I can do anything close to what he did is unbelievable. That’s why I’m here. I’m trying to make Spanish golf bigger and grow the sport in Spain like he did. Hopefully with these wins I’m doing a decent job.”
