Golf is in the air at Club de Campo. The first signs of life appeared on the course on Monday at a mouth-watering edition of the Open de España presented by Madrid as a few of the biggest names took their chance to inspect the Javier Arana layout.
Sergio Garcia was one of the first to take to the course. The Borriol native is back in Madrid six years after his last appearance and, he was obviously keen to reacquaint himself with this week’s venue as soon as possible. Let’s not forget that since the last time he played here, things have changed; storm Filomena tore through Madrid in 2021, Club de Campo felt its full force and lost a significant number of trees.
At this stage of the week, some players are more likely to be found in the gym or fine-tuning their swings on the range, while others prefer to take straight to the course. Sergio belongs to the latter group. The 11th hole provided a reminder of how demanding a course this is; the most deceptive par 3 of the four made him think twice. He pured an iron into the Madrid sun only to reach the green and find it had come up a club or two short, much to the surprise of his caddie. Rest assured he won’t be making the same mistake on Thursday and Friday.
With a somewhat wayward driver, the Spaniard frequently reloaded and hit another. The fairways are narrow and accuracy from the tee will be one of the keys to success in Madrid. However, Sergio has been one of the best drivers of a ball in the world for over twenty years and anyone familiar with his game will know that his game largely depends on his performances on the green. If the putts start to drop, the rest of the field will have to watch their backs.
Europe’s recent victory against the USA is still a hot topic in the world of golf and Sergio could be heard talking to his caddie about Europe’s antics in Bethpage. The Ryder Cup’s record points scorer would have loved to have been there and one of his goals between now and 2027 will surely be to make the team that is to defend the title at Adare Manor (Ireland). A win in Madrid would certainly be a good start to the Spaniard’s attempt to reignite his love affair with the biannual team event.
Sergio Garcia has touched down in Madrid and he will be teeing it up on Thursday as one of the hot favourites for the title on Sunday. A win here would be yet another moment to celebrate in an incredible career. With 38 professional wins around the world, his presence at the Open de España is a huge boon for an already-stellar line-up.
