Jon Rahm will tee it up at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio García Foundation from June 27-30 in the wake of sharing the third spot at Pebble Beach. His return to Valderrama, where he made his first appearance in Spain as a pro, is sure to attract big crowds, together with tournament host Sergio García.
Rahm is progressing steadily in his meteoric rise to the top with four top ten in the Majors since 2016, when he turned pro after a glittering amateur career both in Spain and the U.S. Besides breaking Jack Nicklaus’s record as the leading individual at the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy, he was the only player ever to win the prestigious Ben Hogan Award twice, in 2015 and 2016. His total of 60 weeks spent atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking is the all-time record.
Having earned his European and PGA Tour cards the fast way, he had an impressive rookie season – he notched his maiden PGA Tour title at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, he earned his first European Tour victory at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open by six strokes in July, and won the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, the final event of the 2017 European Tour. Early in 2018 he reached a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world. His emotional and spectacular win at the Open de España, together with his other international achievements, and his Ryder Cup debut in Paris, round up his remarkable statistics.
Out of his 80 professional tournaments since his debut at the 2015 Phoenix Open as an amateur, Rahm has achieved seven wins and 37 top ten (46.25%). He has won three of the nine regular European Tour events he has entered and got seven top ten (excluding Majors and WGC events). These numbers make up a conclusive statistic of 21 months as the leading Spaniard in the world rankings.
Next week Rahm will be looking to add to his record with a good performance at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters in a venue that played a big role in the origin of his career, as recalled by his father Edorta two years ago:
“I belong to a group of sporting friends from Bilbao, and two of them were invited to the ’97 Ryder Cup. They had no idea of golf, but returned home full of enthusiasm. In June ’99, Eduardo Celles opened his golf academy in Bilbao, and four months later we started taking lessons. My wife Ángela, and our sons Jon and Eriz took up golf in 2003.”
Rahm was two years of age when Valderrama famously staged The 1997 Ryder Cup, but his father took him to watch the 2007 Volvo Masters, where the lad enjoyed immensely having his shirt signed by his heroes and never got tired of watching some of the players who are now his rivals on tour or his Ryder Cup teammates, such as Sergio García, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey or Thomas Bjørn.
Ten years later Rahm returned as a superstar for the 2017 Andalucía Valderrama Masters, his first professional appearance on Spanish soil, but missed the cut.
“I believe the problem was mainly mental – too much pressure on myself, too big expectations. I was playing well and I was very much looking forward to playing for the Spanish public. I tried too hard on every shot and didn’t allow my swing to flow. I put too much responsibility on myself to give a good show instead of playing within myself; but the public was great to me and I felt their support all along the way.”
Next week Rahm will share the headlines of the 2019 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters with Sergio García, and he is determined to avenge the bitter experience of two years ago. Boosted by his recent performance at the U.S. Open, he returns to a course he loves with the same thrill that the lad who followed his sporting heroes for the first time.
“Valderrama is one of the best layouts I have played. It is visually attractive and wonderfully maintained. Golf courses don’t need to measure 10,000 yards to be challenging. I find Valderrama very exciting and a good test. You really have to think your way through and play all kinds of shots. Mistakes can be costly, so it keeps you on your toes.
“The boy that went to Valderrama in 2007 is still there, with the same dreams and the same ambition. I am extremely fortunate that my dreams are coming true.”
Tickets for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters 2019 hosted by the Sergio García Foundation are on sale now at the event website, starting from just €7 for juniors and €18 for adults (free entry for children aged under 12 when accompanied by an adult). For more information, see the event website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio García Foundation, an event in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Regeneración, Justicia y Administración Local of the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by EU and declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Spanish Government. This tournament is also supported by Diputación de Cádiz, Dubai Duty Free, Rolex, Exterior Plus, La Reserva Club de Sotogrande, Santander Private Banking and Shell. Callaway, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, Grupo Raga, ISDIN, Korporate Technologies Group, Marca, Maui Jim, the Hospital QuirónSalud Campo de Gibraltar, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf and Volvo are official suppliers. 5J, Gadira, Grupo Joly and Varma collaborate in the event as well.
