The strongest field in the history of the Open de España discovered on Thursday that Real Club de Campo was not about to take any prisoners. The star-studded line-up has had its first taste of Madrid, and the course has bared its teeth. Hatton, Penge, Watson, Højgaard, Rose, Reed, Noren… The big names have had to contend with a layout that, far from handing out birdies on a plate, has turned every fairway into a battle and every green into a test. Remarkably, none of these big-name players managed to go under par on a bruising Thursday.
Heavy rain over recent days has changed the picture dramatically. The course is soft, the rough has grown and controlling the spin has been a constant battle. It proved to be a lethal combination.
The stats are devastating: 13 of the 18 holes played over par. And all this on a spectacularly sunny day in Madrid, with blue skies and conditions that were virtually perfect for golf. One can only imagine what might have happened if, on top of the long, wet rough, players had had to contend with rain or wind. The course alone has had its way with many of them without any help from the skies.
And yet, two of the biggest stars managed to withstand the opening onslaught. Shane Lowry was the only leading international name to finish under par, while Ludvig Åberg, making his Open de España debut, signed for a level-par round. The Irishman and the Swede survived where many others fell by the wayside, and they remain firmly in contention for the title.
Tyrrell Hatton suffered the deepest wound inflicted by Javier Arana’s unforgiving layout. He was among the early starters and reached -2 after six holes. The Ryder Cup star appeared to have found the formula for taming Real Club de Campo. But the golfing gods had other ideas. His round steadily unravelled as it progressed, eventually finishing at +5. His seven-shot collapse perfectly demonstrates the hidden dangers lurking around this week’s course.
The Englishman was not the only champion to come off the course licking his wounds. Bubba Watson finished at +4 and Danny Willett at +6; the two green jacket winners, who are used to competing and winning on the world’s biggest stages, were also caught off-guard by the severity of the course. Real Club de Campo hands out its punishments with little regard for records or reputations.
