MADRID (AP) — Ángel Hidalgo made the most out of windy conditions to shoot a 6-under 65 and take the lead of the Spanish Open on Thursday, with three-time champion Jon Rahm three shots backs despite being a late arrival to the tournament following the birth of his third child.
Hidalgo finished with consecutive bogeys but shot a 30 in the front nine with four birdies and an eagle at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. The 26-year-old Spaniard had six birdies in total and was two shots ahead of Sepp Straka, Julien Guerrier and Sam Bairstow.
“I played really, really good today. It’s a long time since I stroked the putts as well as today,” Hidalgo said. “Unlucky the last few shots, two bad swings with the irons, but pretty happy and looking forward the next three days.”
Rahm was in a tie for fifth after finishing with two consecutive birdies in his 68. He had three other birdies and two bogeys.
He only arrived in the Spanish capital on Wednesday after the birth of his first daughter. He had also struggled with flu symptoms that kept him from playing in the LIV Golf Team Championship last week. Rahm won the LIV individual title and was back in Europe to try to reach the minimum of four European tour starts required to be considered for the Ryder Cup next year. He is being allowed to play after appealing the European tour sanctions against him for playing the LIV circuit.
Rahm is trying to become the first four-time winner in the 52-year history of the Spanish Open. He won the event in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
“Just flying in yesterday afternoon and not having touched a glove in a while, and between being sick and the hospital bed, it sounds like, with the wind forecast, that if I can somehow break 75, I’ll be happy and then see if I can work myself into the tournament,” said Rahm, the former top-ranked golfer who was making his first European tour start since he joined LIV Golf last December.
“I kept putting it in play for the most part and giving myself good looks, made a few really good par putts on on sixth and on 11 that kind of saved the round, and with a great finish I find myself with a great score that is rather, I would say, unexpected,” he said.
Strong winds made it tough on players all day long at the Club de Campo.
“It’s hard,” Rahm said. “There’s quite a bit of elevation change and in a few of the holes here, so a lot of times the wind funnels through the hole. So whatever you feel on the hole is different to what it might be doing above, so you have to put that into account and think about what type of ball flight you’re going to try to hit.”
Tyrrell Hatton, another player who defected to LIV and was going through the same appeal process as Rahm, shot a 3-over 74 after five bogeys and two birdies on his first nine holes.
Patrick Reed, another LIV player, was in a tie for 28th after a par round of 71.
Tommy Fleetwood (69) made three birdies on his last six holes and was in a tie for eighth. He had two bogeys in his round.
Shane Lowry, making his return to the Spanish Open after more than a decade, couldn’t get it going in a round of 4-over 75.
Rahm played alongside defending champion Matthieu Pavon, who won his first European tour title in the Spanish capital last year. The Frenchman shot a 70.
Pablo Larrazábal (73), a nine-time European tour winner, holed out from the rough 106 yards away for an eagle on the par-4 15.
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