2024-09-29 ACCIONA OPEN ESPAÑA 2024 CLUB DE CAMPO VILLA DE MADRID ( SPAIN ) JON RAHM (SPAIN) ANGEL HIDALGO (SPAIN)
Jon Rahm fought until the bitter end but came up just short against a hugely impressive Angel Hidalgo who has surprised everyone in the world of golf over the last four days. The Basque spoke to the press in the tournament’s mixed zone and had the following words for the Marbella native: “I hope he enjoys it. Winning at home, winning the Open de España with all the support there was. You could see how he felt and how important it was to him. I hope he learns from these moments and that he enjoys it”.
Rahm touched down in Madrid on Wednesday jetlagged following the recent birth of his child and a 10-hour flight. He asked for prudence. After taking the tournament to the 74th hole he can be more than happy with his week’s work: “Considering that on Tuesday morning I was still at the hospital in another country, on the other side of the Atlantic, I’m happy. It’s a shame to have lost in the playoff and not played my best today. I can’t say that it was a bad week. I gave myself a chance to win, which is what I wanted. I gave my all until the end, I’m proud of myself”.
Asked about the fans, he said he was delighted with the support the home crowds had provided and considered it completely normal that people were also pulling for Hidalgo: “We’re in Madrid, there were two Spaniards and there were people supporting me, people supporting Angel and people supporting both of us. It was really fun and he received a lot of support, rightly so”.
Aware of how important he is to the growth of golf in Spain, Rahm was keen to point out that an epic afternoon like today’s contributes hugely to the sport he has dedicated his whole life to: “Today will help. Having a conclusion like that, whoever wins, means that maybe those kids who were here watching it or watching on TV will want to try and play golf so they can have moments of their own like those of today”.
Rahm has once again proved his commitment to the Open de España and he promised he will be back next year. At some point the moment will surely come when he surpasses Seve Ballesteros with four crowns at the event. This year he was so close he could practically reach out and touch it.
