John Rahm's stratospheric golf... not forgetting that of López-Chacarra
Winning a country's most important tournament, in this case the Spanish Open, is not within the reach of just anyone, so that those who write their name on the list of winners, with very rare exceptions - after all, that is one of the great things about sport - are always established figures. However, to do so with a score of -25 is a feat within the reach of only the best golfers. This is the case of Jon Rahm, who with such a record has pulverised the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid record, which he himself held with -22, achieved in the 2020 edition.
This is the third time that Rahm, now number 6 in the world, but who sooner rather than later will return to number 1, has won the Spanish Open, equalling his admired Severiano Ballesteros. His triumph, achieved on the fourth and final day, was one of those that will go down in the annals of golf, a sport that is becoming increasingly refined in all its facets. In addition to the essential improvements in technique and equipment that have made it a sport for the masses, golf is unquestionably one of the driving forces behind quality tourism in Spain, and is among those that have made most progress in research into the best use of water on its courses, and the care and preservation of the landscape and the native flora and fauna in its surroundings.
In this setting, and followed by increasingly large crowds, Jon Rahm's golf is stratospheric, with extraordinary long shots, spectacularly accurate approaches and putts capable of lifting the thousands of spectators in the stands out of their seats.
After this new stellar performance by the player born in the Basque town of Barrika, it is more than likely that the number of golf licences will skyrocket in Spain, which will pose a new challenge for town councils and autonomous communities: how and how many new courses to build and manage to meet a demand that will undoubtedly explode, and which today is concentrated almost primarily in Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia and Valencia.
Obviously, reaching Olympus is only the privilege of players like Rahm, but those who practice and play golf, with their perfected system of handicaps, allow, as in no other sport, gods like Rahm to descend to play with mere mortals, in days that bring together professionals and amateurs on the same team.
If Rahm's feat is stratospheric, that of Eugenio López-Chacarra from Madrid opens another front of proportions not yet fully quantified. Lopez-Chacarra has won the Stonehill tournament in Bangkok, belonging to the Saudi circuit LIV Golf Tour, after an impeccable performance that has allowed him to lead the tournament from start to finish.
Barely known for having turned professional last June, when he was second in the world amateur ranking, he has obtained this victory in his fifth tournament of this circuit, which has broken the schemes of world golf, by giving sidereal amounts of money to the prizes of the same. Suffice to say that López-Chacarra has pocketed 4 million dollars for this victory, a barbaric sum compared to the 250,000 that Rahm has obtained for his victory in Madrid. The Spanish Open, like the French and Portuguese Opens and the Valderrama Masters, has a total prize money of around 1.5 million euros.
The hook of such disproportionate prize money is moving more than a few golf stars to move to the Saudi circuit, although others, including Rahm himself, do not tire of repeating that money is not everything, and that they will therefore remain loyal to the American PGA and the European Race to Dubai.
For the time being, the two victories of the Basque Rahm and the Madrid-born López-Chacarra will sweeten the dreams of so many fans and those aspiring to emulate them. In the meantime, the battle between the American quasi-monopoly and the unexpected Saudi challenger will continue to be played out in the offices... with lots and lots of money on the table.