The Villa de Madrid Country Club looks splendid with the figure of Jon Rahm. More than 40,000 spectators will travel to this lung of Madrid to follow the developments of the Spanish Open that starts today and will end next Sunday. A tournament that has taken a leap in quality in player participation and has a notable economic impact for the city.
The championship sponsored by Acciona has a prize pool of 3.2 million euros, almost double the previous edition: 1.7 million. An outlay that only falls behind the Rolex Series of the DP World Tour, the five outstanding tournaments of the year, and some specific events, such as the Alfred Dunhill held last week.
Last year, 43,211 spectators attended the tournament throughout the entire week. The economic impact was almost 20 million euros, with a direct investment in the Madrid economy of 9 million. The spectator who agreed to see Rahm up close spent, on average, 367.61 euros. In 2022 there was a large presence of visitors from outside Madrid: one in four spectators came from other provinces and 8% were foreign audiences. The average expenditure of visitors from outside Madrid reached 800 euros. Public administrations collect about 2.6 million euros in taxes.
Business epicenter
These are some important figures that point optimistically to the future of one of the oldest tournaments on the calendar, since its first edition dates back to 1912.. In 2019, Madrid Trophy Promotions, with Gerard Tsobanian at the helm, rescued the tournament. They are the same ones who achieved the miracle of tennis in the capital of Spain and who seek to replicate that successful business model in golf.. At the moment they are achieving this thanks to two important axes: the presence of Rahm and the concept of entertainment and leisure, always looking at the world of business and public relations.. Once again, the Country Club, with its VIP tents, will be the epicenter of business this weekend.
Rahm is the big draw. “Playing in front of an audience that loves you is a unique experience. Being a reference for them and having the honor of entertaining them is something that makes me feel proud,” said the Barrika player at the presentation of the event.. The Basque is happy with the reception of the tournament, but wants to go further: “It is not known what is going to happen with the calendar and the tournaments. The Spanish Open has been growing in recent years, this year Justin Rose is coming, but we would have to have more ambition to get the best to come and play, to compete with the tournaments in the United States and the best in Europe. With ambition and time, it can be achieved.”
“If it's in my power, I'll be there”
“If it is in my power to make the Spanish Open bigger, I will be there, once the necessary changes have been made, I can convince the best players to come. Madrid is a very attractive city for everyone. If it's in my power, I'll be there,” insists Rahmbo. The calendar benefits the Madrid Open, since the competition in the United States drops a lot in this final stretch of the year, which is why some American players, if they find incentives, cross the pond as Wydham Clarke (winner of the US Open this year) will soon do. and Matt Kuchar at the Estrella Damm Open in Andalusia.
On the sporting side, Jon Rahm also eclipses everything. He will pursue his fourth victory to surpass Seve Ballesteros and get closer to Ángel de la Torre's five. His great rival will be Justin Rose. Of course, Sergio García and two of the leaders of the future of our golf will be missed: Eugenio López Chacarra and David Puig. Both have won this year on the Asian Tour and will have to compete this week in the LIV Golf tournament in Saudi Arabia.