In his 80th DP World Tour start, Ángel Hidalgo secured his first victory at the ACCIONA Open de España, after a dramatic two-hole playoff against Jon Rahm, becoming the 11th Spanish winner.
“Insane. Absolutely insane,” Hidalgo said when reflecting on what it felt like to win his home open. “I don’t have the words right now to explain what I can feel. We worked hard and now the trophy is with us here in Spain, it’s unbelievable.”
Starting the final round with a two-shot lead, Hidalgo faced tough competition, from Rahm and David Puig, with Puig holding a three-shot lead at one point. After 16 holes, Hidalgo regained his two-shot advantage. Rahm, meanwhile, birdied the last two holes to force a playoff, while Puig faltered with four bogeys on the back nine, missing out on the playoff. The two players returned to the 18th hole, both making birdies on the first playoff attempt. However, on the second playoff hole, Hidalgo birdied while Rahm made par, clinching the victory for the 26-year-old in front of his home crowd
“I was trying to be focused during the round and not care what the other two guys make. I started with a few drivers to the left and yeah, I was talking with my caddie all around, like what we can do to try to put the ball in the fairway; and in the moment when I put the ball in the fairway, I know I’m hitting pretty good wedges and the irons.” said Hidalgo.
With this win, Hidalgo secures playing rights on the DP World Tour for at least the next two seasons. He reflected on how three years ago, he was just a spectator at the same course, supporting Rahm, making his win even more surreal.
“It was three years ago, I was in exactly this course, on the first tee in the trees supporting Jon without playing. I just come here to Madrid to see the tournament. To be here and win the tournament is unreal. It’s unreal. Oh, my gosh. It’s amazing”
Jon Rahm, reflecting on his week, expressed pride despite losing in the play off, “To think that on Tuesday morning I was still in the hospital in another country, on the other side of the Atlantic, in the end, I’m happy. It’s a pity to have lost in the playoff and not have been able to do better today. I gave myself a chance to win, which is what I wanted. I gave it my all until the end, and I’m proud of myself.”
Six players finished for tied third place at 10-under-par, including England’s Tommy Fleetwood who posted a bogey-free final round of 5-under 65, highlighted by five birdies. which featured five birdies.
“It’s a great golf course. I think the tournament, the way it’s been hosted and the way everything has been run this week is exactly how a golf tournament should be,” he said “So everybody should be very proud of that. It’s always great coming back to Europe and to a major city, and I think all of that has been the most fun part for me.”
