The first day of the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid has come to an end at Club de Campo, here are ten nuggets that perfectly encapsulate what went down in a magical first round:
– Nothing can stop ‘Rahmania’, not the wind, not the adverse conditions. Thousands of fans turned up on Thursday to enjoy the golf at the ACCIONA Open and, without a doubt, Jon was the biggest pull for the local crowds. The home players responded perfectly and have five representatives in the Top 10.
– In tricky conditions, Angel Hidalgo produced an impressive 65 that leaves him head and shoulders above the rest at the top of the leaderboard. The Andalusian has never won on the DP World Tour and it would be an absolute dream to do so at the Open de España. His best result to date was a fourth place at the Andalucia Masters and he is looking to surpass it in Madrid.
– Austria’s Sepp Straka proved in the afternoon why he is the world number 31. A round of 67 has him sitting pretty in second place alongside Frenchman Julien Guerrier. Despite being a Ryder Cup player and having won on the PGA Tour, the Austrian has never claimed a title on Europe’s premier circuit, could this be his week?
– Tommy Fleetwood not only enjoys himself on the golf course, he is also making the most of the facilities at Club de Campo. After a more than solid two-under par first round, he admitted that he would stay at Club de Campo: “The players zone is incredible and the food is so good, so I’ll stay here for a while eating and practising. I’m really relaxed and happy in Madrid”, concluded the affable Englishman.
– The moment of the day was produced by Pablo Larrazábal. On the fifteenth hole, from the rough, from 120 yards away, he holed out for eagle. The Spaniard was four over par after nine holes and managed an impressive back nine in which he climbed back to level. However, two bogeys at the end left him in 57th place.
– That’s golf! When it looked like the afternoon session would be marred by the inclement weather, the wind dropped and so did the birdie putts. In fact, five of the best seven rounds of the day came from late starters.
– Tyrrell Hatton gained first-hand experience of just how tough Club de Campo Villa de Madrid can be. The Englishman made his debut in perilous conditions and signed for a 74. He will have to fight back tomorrow if he wants to spend the weekend in the Spanish capital.
– Two amateurs are competing at the Open de España this week. Their days were very different. Josele Ballester, the recent US Amateur champion, struggled to adapt his game to the narrow layout and finished the round with a 75. It was a different story for Luis Masaveu, though, the Madrid native shone at home once again and has a place in the Top 10 thanks to a two-under par start.
– The 7th hole was the easiest of the day at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. With the wind behind, as many as 70 players claimed a birdie or better from the par 5, including four eagles.
– On the other hand, the sixth was easily the most challenging hole of the day. It only yielded two birdies compared to 52 scores over par throughout the day, including 10 double bogeys or worse. The average score on this treacherous par 4 was 4.56.
