The official presentation for the Open de España presented by Madrid was held on Tuesday morning at the iconic Madrid City Hall, in the heart of the capital. Participating in the event were Inmaculada Sanz, vice mayoress of the Madrid City Council; Gerard Tsobanian, president of the Open de España presented by Madrid, Jon Rahm, three-time champion of the tournament; and Angel Hidalgo, who will be defending the title he won last year at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The presentation represents the starting pistol for this year’s edition of a tournament that, starting on Thursday morning, will bring some of the world’s best golfers to Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, reaffirming Madrid as one of the epicentres of European golf.
Gerard spoke of Jon’s work and the growth of the tournament: “For us, as promoters, this is the sixth edition of this Open and the presence of big names is essential, with a capital E. The fans want to see the best players in the world. If they come, that means more media, more fans and it’s a success. I’d like to mention and thank Jon from the bottom of my heart. He has been here for six years with my team giving everything to help this tournament. We’re very grateful because he’s a great champion, a great help and he’s the biggest representative of Spanish golf. His presence is essential, it’s thanks to him that other great champions come here.
“This year we have Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed and of course Angel, the winner of the tournament, a group of elite champions at a tournament that represents the entire country. A tournament with such a long history that it’s an honour for me and for my team to be able to organise it. Thanks to the City Council and their unconditional support, the tournament grows every year, just like the tennis event we started 24 years ago”.
The vice mayoress of the City Council expressed her gratitude for everyone’s presence, starting with the organisers: “They’ve managed to consolidate this tournament as one of the most important. There are difficult days in politics, but then there are others like today, being here with these incredible players who have given us so much joy. We really suffered the other day Jon, but we never lost hope that you would bring the Ryder Cup back home. For Madrid it’s important the way golf has grown, it’s the second biggest in the region and first for the number of women playing. Every year there is more to enjoy. This event has consolidated itself, we have F1, the NFL, the Madrid Open in tennis… We now have many consolidated international sporting events, top 5 in elite sports, and we’re going to continue along those lines. That means the kids at school and at golf clubs are practising every day to be Jon Rahm. We will keep taking care of sport because it’s part of Madrid”.
For his part, Juan Guerrero, who is embarking on his first edition of the event as the president of the Spanish Golf Federation, said: “I’d like to thank the City Council for their support for golf. This is my home because I’m from Madrid, so thank you very much. Thanks to Gerard because without his hard work as promoter the tournament wouldn’t be at the level it is. I’ve already thanked Jon personally, he has supported the Open de España from the start, he has gone the extra mile at times and we’re so grateful for his support.
“Very briefly, because I’m sure you’d all like to hear from Jon and Angel, I’d just like to say that the Open de España has a very long history, since 1912, making it the second oldest continental event. It has been won by Seve, Jimenez, Sergio, of course Jon, Quiros, who’s recovering from an injury, Rafa Cabrera and Angel Hidalgo. It’s also been won by golfing legend Arnold Palmer who like Seve and Tiger changed the sport from entertainment into an industry. I’d like to mention Seve, as always, and I’d like to say that the Open de España is the only continental tournament that gives direct access to the US Masters and The Open. That recognition is thanks to the promoters and the players who contribute to making this event increasingly great”, he concluded.
For his part, Jon Rahm was “happy to return home and to be able to compete again in front of the Madrid fans. For me it’s an honour and a duty to be here. You make everything easier for a player to come here and have a good time. I would like to ask for a big hand for Gerard because the change he has brought to the tournament and the treatment of the players is incredible. To me it’s easy to sell the Open de España. You’ll never have better food than this week and that’s the truth. The course design is beautiful. Madrid is easy to sell because it’s hard to find a more beautiful city or better weather”. Hidalgo then spoke of his triumph twelve months ago: “I won’t deny it was an incredible victory, because of where it was, because of all the fans that came out, because it was against Jon, who is possibly the most relevant player in Spain since Seve, which adds something to what happened. In golfing terms it hasn’t been my best year since that playoff, but I’m delighted to be here as the defending champion, which is a first for me. I don’t know how I’ll feel on Thursday, but I can’t wait and I’m looking forward to enjoying the course, which will certainly be incredible”.
Things are ramping up at an edition that promises to be spectacular both on and off the golf course, once again placing Madrid at the epicentre of international golf.
