CADIZ, SPAIN – JUNE 7: Bubba Watson of RangeGoats GC plays his tee shot on the 7th hole during day four of LIV Golf Andalucia at Real Club Valderrama on June 7, 2026 in Cadiz, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Two debutants at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid who could easily be the stars of any field at any tournament in the world. Bubba Watson and Francesco Molinari, two major winners, are playing the Javier Arana layout for the first time, adding even more intrigue to the greatest field in the history of the Open de España.AC
Bubba Watson, one of the most anomalous and fascinating players of modern golf, is making his bow in the Spanish capital. A player for whom nothing is impossible, with an ability to see shots nobody else can, the American is capable of producing fireworks every time he tees it up. The price of a ticket is worth it just to see him play.
Madrid is about to welcome a two-time Masters champion, and the architect of one of the most iconic shots in the history of golf. The impossible hook from the trees on the 10th hole at Augusta in 2012, which led Watson to his first famous green jacket in a playoff against Louis Oosthuizen, has gone down in the history of the sport. When he claimed his tenth PGA Tour title, he said something that sums him up perfectly: “Nobody thought that Bubba Watson from Bagdad, Florida, would ever get to 10 wins, let’s be honest. Without lessons, head case, hooking the ball, slicing the ball, can’t putt… but here we are”.
Francesco Molinari, a living legend of European golf, arrives at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid intent on growing a career that is already legendary. It is a name every golf fan recognises and, above all, respects after his unforgettable performance at the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, where he won 5 points out of 5 and formed one of the most memorable partnerships in the history of the competition with Tommy Fleetwood.
That 5-0 made Molinari and Fleetwood into legends of European golf. It was quite a year for the Italian, who also won The Open, his first and, to date, only major.
Furthermore, Molinari is a former champion of the Open de España. In 2012 he took the title at Real Club de Golf de Sevilla to become the first Italian to claim the biggest trophy in Spanish golf. This may be his debut in Madrid, but he already knows how to win on Spanish soil.
Two champions. Two personalities. Two completely different ways of approaching the game. On the one hand, Bubba, the irrepressible talent with the impossible shots. On the other, Molinari, with the elegance, precision and character of a champion.
Now the Spanish fans have a chance to watch them ply their trade in the flesh. Bubba Watson plays golf from a different planet and Francesco Molinari is a true gentleman both on and off the golf course. Two classy debutants for an Open de España that continues to make history.
