OPEN DE ESPAÑA PRESENTED BY MADRID 2025 (CC Villa de Madrid, October 9-12)

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. Frenchman Ugo Coussaud and Englishman Sam Bairsow lead the tournament with a solid round of 6 under par

. Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm struggled in the first round, finishing their respective rounds with 72 and 73 strokes.

Ángel Ayora, a young Spanish golf prospect, recently turned 21, with a fresh and audacious game, ready to achieve great feats by taking advantage of the quality of his cheeky attitude, has played the role of 'Spanish power' at the start of the Open de España presented by Madrid.

The player from Malaga has suddenly found himself in a role that was initially unexpected but not fortuitous, supported as he is by a streak of good play that led him to be the best-ranked Spaniard last week at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, fifth, where he accumulated his fourth Top 10 of the season in the DP World Tour.

“The start was disastrous, missing on the wrong side on the 13th and making a ridiculous bogey on the 15th with three putts, but I was patient and those good feelings I came to Madrid with finally showed up,” Ángel Ayora summarized with undisguised hope at the end of his round.

Not surprisingly, the broad smile with which he handed over a hopeful 67-stroke card contrasted sharply with the serious and worried expression brought on by a truly dismal start. A double bogey on his fourth hole – he started on the 10th – and a bogey on the sixth, fortunately mitigated in between by a timely birdie and another birdie on his eighth hole, placed Ángel Ayora in the large group of players chasing a good result.

Only nine holes remained to rectify the situation and reach a truly noteworthy position, but the path became a highway. Difficulties turned into successes, and darkness into light; not a single mistake, three birdies, and a spectacular eagle catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard and, all in one fell swoop, earned him the title of 'Spanish power' at the Spanish Open, an honorary title of enormous value considering the quality and quantity of candidates vying for such an accolade.

There they are, to begin with, Sergio García and Jon Rahm, who battled the course before finishing in the clubhouse with scores of 72 and 73 strokes, respectively. The two leading figures in Spanish golf drew on their experience to overcome challenging situations, but their game lacked a finishing touch, whether due to difficulty placing the ball in the correct part of the fairway or a lack of accuracy in converting good putting opportunities.

“It’s been frustrating, it annoys me to have such a tough day. I haven’t given the fans much to cheer about,” the Basque golfer honestly admitted, echoing Sergio Garcia’s conclusions about his first round.

Gusty winds, a tough, uneven rough, and glass-like greens did the rest—seemingly invisible difficulties that gradually became apparent in the performance of all the participants. Overcoming the course and Javier Arana's design—a short course for the hitting power of today's golfers, but full of unseen traps—took its toll.

Those who stood out most were Englishman Sam Bairstow and Frenchman Ugo Coussaud, who both shot 65s, surpassing Ángel Ayora's effectiveness. A step behind them all, a classic, a sure thing, a player who makes the Spanish Open a matter of faith, consistently achieving good results in this tournament that enhance his career.

It's Alfredo García Heredia from Asturias, who once again solidified his position at the top of the leaderboard. This time he finished with a 68, his front nine marred only by a bogey—a minor setback for someone aiming for another outstanding performance. His final score also places him among the 'Spanish power' group, that cohesive group that has achieved seven victories in the last thirteen editions of the Spanish Open, or, to top it off, five in the last six.

AROUND THE GREEN

Ángel Ayora and his increasingly interesting list of achievements

A professional since January 2024, Ángel Ayora boasts a brilliant track record, most notably, before turning pro, the gold medal he won at the 2023 European Men's Team Championship alongside other promising young Spanish golfers such as José Luis Ballester, Luis Masaveu, Javier Barcos, Jaime Montojo, and Joseba Torres. As a professional, the golfer from Málaga won the Rosa Challenge Tour in 2024, in addition to finishing second in the Hangzhou Open and the Challenge Tour Grand Final, also in 2024.

Ballester and some changes to move forward

José Luis Ballester has used the last few months to fine-tune his swing. He has worked hard on his physical conditioning, “hitting the gym hard”.,

and in preparing for the weeks of competition. “Also, I’ve found a couple of things off the tee that are working well for me and helping me feel comfortable on the course,” he explained. Clearly, these changes are working.

A bittersweet debut for Ignacio Mateo

Few players at the Villa de Madrid were happier than the two who secured their spots in the Open through the qualifying round at the National Center, Ignacio Mateo and Álvaro Morales. Morales finished the day with a score of +6 – “I struggled a lot with the rough” – but with the satisfaction of seeing about twenty friends and family members following him around the course. Despite the score, the Galician golfer enjoyed a special round with his loved ones.

Penge, an outsider?

In the lead-up, there was a lot of talk about Rahm, Lowry, and company, but the truth is, it shouldn't surprise anyone that one of the early leaders of the tournament is Englishman Marco Penge, one of the hottest players on the DP World Tour. At 27, he's enjoying a fantastic run of form: winner of two tournaments in 2025 (Denmark and China) and on the verge of breaking into the Top 50 of the World Rankings. A victory in Madrid would cap off a superb year.

IN FRONT OF THE MICROPHONE

Ángel Ayora, 67 strokes (-4): “What matters is where I am on Sunday”

“Good round. I hit the ball well, with confidence. Before the round, I would have gladly accepted -4, that's for sure, but what you do today doesn't matter much if you're not at the top on Sunday. I started the round really badly and I started thinking, 'Oh no, my parents and grandparents are coming this weekend, they've already bought their tickets, what if I don't make the cut?' Thank goodness things turned out alright!‘

At this point in the season, I didn't expect to be in this good position, with the PGA Tour option there. I won't say I'm not surprised, but I'm trying to take it tournament by tournament and play my best golf.

Jon Rahm, 72 strokes (+1): “I played well, but it’s not the result I was hoping for.”

“My problem has been the wind. I don’t feel like I played terribly, but I just wasn’t hitting the right clubs. I didn’t hit any bad shots, but the result didn’t go as I wanted. There were some good shots that ended up off the green, which isn’t what I expected. I made some good swings and played well. The good and bad thing about golf is that you always have to play the next week, so what happened a few days ago at the Ryder Cup doesn’t really matter.”.

It bothers me that I couldn't deliver a good result for everyone. Let's hope I have a good day tomorrow and get myself in a good position for the weekend.

José Luis Ballester, 70 strokes (-1): “My game is much better than last year’s”

“Depending on how the afternoon goes, I’ll see my result as better or worse. I’m happy with my game; there are definitely many positives compared to last year. My game is at a much higher level; I’m playing very well off the tee, but today I was penalized for missing the fairway on a couple of holes. On the last four holes, I hit some great shots that would normally have put me up for birdie, and in the end, I struggled to make par. In any case, I’m happy with my first under-par round on this course.”.