After an exhilarating playoff at the BMW PGA Championship last week, the DP World Tour moves to Madrid for the Open de Espana.
The event is a special one on the calendar, particularly for Spanish professionals who have won the tournament 39 times over the years. The event has been around since 1912, making it one of the oldest golf tournaments in the world.
The headline news ahead of the weekend at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid is that Jon Rahm will be teeing it up after officially appealing against the sanctions handed him to by the DP World Tour following his decision to join LIV Golf.
His decision to appeal is big not only for this week but also for Team Europe's hopes of retaining the Ryder Cup next year. Rahm needs to compete in four DP World Tour events this year to be eligible for Luke Donald's squad and he is now set to tick off those requirements in the coming months.
Rahm isn't the only elite European golfer competing this weekend, but Rory McIlroy is sitting it out after playing back-to-back events on the tour. Will Rahm win on home soil or can someone else lift the trophy in Madrid? Here are our Open de Espana betting tips.
Open de Espana betting tips
Low scoring has been a feature at recent Open de Espana's but the course isn't as easy as the winners in recent years have made it look and this year, higher scores are anticipated due to the weather forecast predicting high winds.
High winds are likely to make the small greens play even smaller which means the most important stats to consider this week are shots gained on approach shots and scrambling.
Jon Rahm (Eight places) – 14/5
Jon Rahm will be a man on a mission this week on his return to the DP World Tour and he will have a spring in his step after welcoming his third child into the world earlier in the week.
Rahm also comes into the tournament on the back of winning the individual LIV Golf Championship in his first season with Saudi-backed tour so it's not as if he is out of form, either.
What pushes me towards the favourite this weekend, though, is his form in the Espana de Open over the years. This is a tournament that Rahm takes very seriously which is no surprise given how passionate and proud he is about a) the history of the game and b) his heritage.
Rahm has won the tournament three times, two of which came at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. In 2019, he posted a score of -22 and in 2022, he posted a score of -25, the current record at the tournament.
Tommy Fleetwood (Eight places) – 17/2
It has been well-documented how Tommy Fleetwood is yet to win on the PGA Tour but he is a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour so he won't feel any additional pressure when he tees it up in Madrid this week.
Fleetwood has only played at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid once before but on the face of it, this is a course that should suit his game. This season, he ranks second on the DP World Tour for strokes gained on approach shots (and first in the field this week).
Meanwhile, on the PGA Tour, he ranks seventh for the season for scrambling. Therefore, Fleetwood is well placed in the two key metrics in which players who do well around here usually excel in.
Matteo Manassero (Eight places) – 22/1
Matteo Manassero is in good form and has enjoyed some impressive performances over the past couple of months. He led the BMW PGA Championship last week by three shots after the third round before fading away on Sunday while he finished third at the Irish Open and sixth at the British Masters.
The 31-year-old is also ranking highly on the DP World Tour this season in strokes gained on approach shots. He is fifth for the season on the DP World Tour and second only to Fleetwood in the field this week. However, he has played 61 more rounds than the Englishman which arguably make his numbers more impressive.
Open de Espana singles
- Jon Rahm E/W (Eight places) – 14/5 @ Betfred
- Tommy Fleetwood E/W (Eight places) – 17/2 @ Betfred
- Matteo Manassero E/W (Five places)– 22/1 @ Betfred
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
