Jon Rahm, under the shadow of Seve and Woods
Just over 100 kilometers separate bustling Liverpool from the sleepy county of Lancashire. It was at nearby Royal Lytham. It was the last Spanish victory in The Open. Today, in Liverpool, Jon Rahm will try to end that streak.
Looking for more coincidences, it turns out that 17 years have passed since Seve played his last round at the British Open, and it was precisely here, at Royal Liverpool, with his son Javier carrying the bag.. It was 2006, that unforgettable edition where Tiger Woods won the tournament, also for the last time. Seve continues to reference any golf milestone, although all eyes are already pointing to Jon Rahm. “Obviously winning would be amazing, and there are many reasons to want to do it. Being the next to win an Open for Spain since Seve would be very special. It's amazing that some of the great golfers we've had since haven't been able to do it, even though they've come close. It would be a real honor to win my third major here and be the second Spaniard to have an Open”, admitted the one from Barrika, who has lost his third position in the world ranking after the push of Rory McIlroy in recent weeks.
Rahm has rested and trained in the last three weeks out of competition. Billionaire JP McManus has been their host at his luxurious Irish resort of Adare Manor, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2027. The one from Barrika arrives in the city of the Beatles with a full battery and ready to continue shortening distances with the legend of Seve. Rahm appeared with a new logo on his clothing, the first for a Spanish company that sponsors him, Banco Santander, which after having had Rory McIlroy as ambassador for five years, is committed to the national product with projection in the United States.
Rahm joins his name to that of Nadal, Alonso or Pelé as ambassador of the Spanish financial multinational that had such a personal relationship with Ballesteros. We already said it at the beginning: all roads lead to Seve.
After Jon, seven Spaniards, a figure more typical of another century, of the generation of Ballesteros and company. Seven very different stories, and any of them would deserve a triumphant brooch. Pablo Larrazábal, after his two wins this year in Europe, has entered the greats for consistency and regularity. Something similar happens with Adri Arnaus, Adrián Otaegui and Jorge Campillo. Alejandro Cañizares is not at his best, but at 40 years old he returns to the Open (he played in 2012) after winning the position at the Australian Open. Nacho Elvira debuts in a major after qualifying in extremis by being second in Denmark (DP World Tour).
Finally, the brand new European Amateur champion, Josele Ballester, the last of the pearls of the Spanish quarry, who will be the 71st Spaniard in the history of golf to play in a Grand Slam tournament. “My goal is to enjoy and learn, when you are an amateur it is difficult to enjoy, let's see if I am able to unblock myself and be able to enjoy this week,” he commented after his last round of practices before the competition. Pablo Larrazábal will be the early riser of the Spaniards with departure at 8:19 a.m. (in Spain). At 8:30 a.m., Josele Ballester will break the ice with a major winner like Patrick Reed. In the afternoon, at 1:31 p.m. Adrian Otaegui will start, and at 3:59 p.m., without a doubt, the most interesting match of The Open will unite Jon Rahm with Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.
Elvira and Cañizares will play together at 4:32 p.m. and Jorge Campillo will almost close the day (5:05 p.m.).