2026-10-05 OPEN DE ESPAÑA DE GOLF PRESENTED BY MADRID 2026. CLUB DE CAMPO VILLA DE MADRID ( SPAIN ) PHOTO: MATEO VILLALBA / OPEN DE ESPAÑA
Often the excitement at a golf tournament starts to build long before the first shot is hit in anger. This is now very much the case at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, because the tee times have just been announced and fans will be delighted to see two swathes of matches that would not be out of place at a major championship.
At 09:20 Javier Arana’s black course will welcome an all-star trio. Ángel Ayora, Ludvig Åberg and Tyrrell Hatton will tee off together from the 10th. Three players, three completely different profiles and one of the matches of the day. Åberg’s talent, the power and character of Hatton, and the youthful verve of Ayora will all be looking to impress the Spanish fans. Two Ryder Cup players and a young man who will surely be a future member of team Europe. What a match!
Just ten minutes later another all-star group will take to the tee. Eugenio Chacarra, Shane Lowry and Patrick Reed will start their campaigns at 09:30. An Open Champion, a Masters champion and one of the biggest talents in Spanish golf. Lowry will bring heart and big-game experience; Reed, the current leader of the Race to Dubai, his extensive competitive nous; and Chacarra a desire to prove that he can go toe-to-toe with anyone.
Two groups. Six players. A morning worth getting up early for.
But the spectacular golf does not stop there. Thursday also offers a world-class afternoon session. At 13:50, Alex Noren, Nicolai Højgaard and Nacho Elvira will take centre stage. Three players of the utmost experience, and a match that adds further depth to a field that is already packed with superstars.
At 14:00 another of the groups of the day will kick off their week. Marco Penge, Sergio García and Justin Rose will be sharing their afternoon on the course. The defending Open de España champion is returning to the stage where his career changed course last year, where he will join a green jacket winner and a US Open champion. A defending champion, a green jacket, and one US Open champion in the same match.
Four tee times to circle in red; 9:20, 9:30, 13:50 and 14:00. Four matches that will make Thursday a world-class day of golf, all packed into the space of a few hours.
And there is still more… At 13:20, Bubba Watson will tee off alongside Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion and Pablo Larrazábal, one of the best-loved members of the Spanish Armada. If there is one player worth following, regardless of who is alongside him, it’s the American. Watson is making his debut at Real Club de Campo, and fans in Madrid will be treated to a one-of-a-kind golfer. His shots, his angles, his impossible hooks and slices and a very unusual approach to the game make for fireworks every time he tees it up. It is the first time Bubba has played in Madrid and watching him up close and personal is a must.
On Thursday, Real Club de Campo is offering up two major sessions, including an unmissable bonus. In the morning, Åberg, Hatton, Ayora, Lowry, Reed and Chacarra. In the afternoon, Noren, Højgaard, Elvira, Penge, Sergio and Rose. In between them, Bubba Watson doing Bubba Watson things.
The Open de España is about to get off to a flying start. Four times circled in red in Madrid, and another player not to be missed.
