The camera zoomed in on Angel Hidalgo to capture his reaction after Rahm drained his birdie-putt on the 17th hole. The Basque was two shots adrift, down and out, but somehow he had now clawed himself back. Hidalgo knew it. He smiled, but it was the nervous smile of a man who had just been punched in the gut.
The Andalusian had a 5-foot putt that would have changed his life and he missed it. He missed it because Rahm is a giant. But, on an afternoon that will go down in the annals of Spanish golf, Hidalgo showed why this sport is so great. Rahm pushed his playing partner to the limit, but Hidalgo pushed back. After a two-hole playoff, the Marbella native snatched the trophy from Rahm’s grasp in his own back garden. It was a dream conclusion to a spectacular week.
Rahm was built for Sundays like today. The Basque’s ball found the trees on the 13th and he ended up with a double-bogey. It looked like his tournament was over. Just when Hidalgo was perhaps thinking about what he would spend his winner’s cheque on, his adversary punished him for daring to dream. Jon Rahm is immortal, and Hidalgo’s victory is even more commendable for it. Anyone watching the final round will have thought to themselves four or five times: “The pressure has had its way with Hidalgo, this Rahm’s to lose”. Hidalgo had a mountain to climb. His achievement today will be spoken about for decades.
It is a historic moment in golf, simply because of the player who was staring him down. Club de Campo’s favourite son failed to master Javier Arana’s Black Course this time around. The Barrika native’s 7th hole on Sunday hinted at the fact that maybe it would not be his day. An unrecognisable Rahm was 1-over par for the layout’s first two par 5s. Unheard of. He normally destroys the 4th and 7th holes at Club de Campo, but he failed to make the most of them on the day when he most needed to.
The Spaniard seemed slightly out of sorts, but something seemed to click after he followed a poor chip with three putts on the 7th green. He turned on the magic and strung together three birdies on 8, 9 and 10. Now the fans suspected his name was as good as etched into the Open de España trophy. On this topsy-turvy Sunday, from a situation where the title looked certain to be Hidalgos, but Rahm responded, three holes later, the situation had been completely turned on its head.
Rahm was frank with Hidalgo yesterday: “In the end, if you want to achieve big things in golf you’ll have to respond on Sundays like the one that awaits us”. Hidalgo stepped up to the plate and was rewarded with his first DP World Tour victory. The magnitude of his win is thanks to Rahm. The Basque has been, once again, a dream ambassador for a country that was searching for a new golfing superstar for some time before he appeared on the scene. Rahm delivered on his promise to come to Madrid and fought hard for 74 holes to take Hidalgo to the limit. Jon will be disappointed, but honoured. It is now surely only a question of time before he surpasses Seve Ballesteros by claiming his fourth Open de España crown.
The best edition in the history of the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid could not have had a more epic conclusion. The confirmation of Rahm as the torchbearer of Spanish sport also marked the arrival of a young man who won the hearts of the fans with his humility and affability and some explosive golf. The countdown is already on for next year’s Open de España.
