Open de Espana tournament history
The Open de Espana dates all the way back to 1912 and apart from 2017, when it was missing from the schedule, and 2020, when it was lost to the pandemic, it's been a regular on the DP World Tour since its inception in 1972.
Venue
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid.
Course details
Par 71, 7112 yards
The Club de Campo Villa de Madrid is a traditional inland course that sits 2,500 feet above sea level. It's a hilly course with sloping tree-lined fairways and well-bunkered, undulating greens.
Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has been the host course for the last six editions of this event and prior to that it was last seen on the DP World Tour back in 2008 when it hosted the first of four editions of the now defunct Madrid Masters, won by Charl Schwartzel.
It was also the venue for the now defunct Open de Madrid between 2001 and 2005 and it also hosted this event in 1996, as well as the final edition of another now defunct event, the Turespaña Masters in 2000.
It's a short track and in benign conditions, it can succumb to some very low scores. Nobody bettered 64 12 months ago but Ross McGowan opened the 2021 edition with a ten-under-par 61 and Marcel Siem signed off the 2023 edition with a 61. And Jon Rahm shot a nine-under-par 62 in round four when winning the event for a third time four years ago.
Weather forecast
TV coverage
Live on Sky Sports all four days, starting at 13:00 on Thursday.
Last eight winners with pre-event Betfair Exchange prices
2025 - Marco Penge -15 (playoff) 28.027/1
2024 - Angel Hidalgo -14 (playoff) 420.0419/1
2023 - Matthieu Pavon -23 120.0119/1
2022 - Jon Rahm -25 3.55/2
2021 - Rafa Cabrera-Bello -19 (playoff) 110.0109/1
2020 - Tournament Cancelled
2019 - Jon Rahm -22 4.03/1
2018 - Jon Rahm -20 5.04/1
2017 - No Tournament
2016 - Andrew Johnston +1 140.0139/1
A statistical look at the Open de Espana?
Here's a list of the last 14 course winners, together with their winning scores and whatever traditional stats I could obtain.
(Key: DD - Driving Distance; DA - Driving Accuracy; GIR - Greens in Regulation; SC - Scrambling; PA - Putting Average)
2025 Open de Espana
Marco Penge -15 DD: 5, DA: 60, GIR: 2, SC: 4, PA: 17
2024 Open de Espana
Angel Hidalgo -14 DD: 37, DA: 13, GIR: 8, SC: 15, PA: 1
2023 Open de Espana
Matthieu Pavon -25 DD: 20, DA: 20, GIR: 28, SC: 3, PA: 4
2022 Open de Espana
Jon Rahm -25 DD: 2, DA: 27, GIR: 12, SC: 7, PA: 2
2021 Open de Espana
Rafa Cabrera-Bello -19 DD: 52, DA: 20, GIR: 25, SC: 2, PA: 22
2019 Open de Espana
Jon Rahm -22 DD: 1, DA: 3, GIR: 12, SC: 3, PA: 1
2008 Madrid Masters
Charl Schwartzel -19 DD: 21, DA: 10, GIR: 2, SC: 6, PA: 20
2005 Open de Madrid
Raphael Jacquelin -23 DD: 10, DA: 23, GIR: 34, SC: 10, PA: 1
2004 Open de Madrid
Richard Sterne -18 DD: 2, DA: 61, GIR: 22, SC: 14, PA: 5
2003 Open de Madrid
Ricardo Gonzalez -14 DD: 4, DA: 66, GIR: 10, SC: n/a, PA: n/a
2002 Open de Madrid
Steen Tinning -19 DD: 60, DA: 1, GIR: 2, SC: n/a, PA: n/a
2001 Open de Madrid
Retief Goosen -20 DD: 26, DA: 55, GIR: 1, SC: n/a, PA: n/a
2000 Turespaña Masters
Padraig Harrington -17 DD: 13, DA: 94, GIR: 19, SC: n/a, PA: n/a
1996 Open de Espana
Padraig Harrington -16 No Stats
Accurate iron play is clearly important given 34th is the worst any of the last 13 winners has ranked for Greens In Regulation and Scrambling has often been a key stat too, but the data is limited.
We've had Strokes Gained stats for the last six editions here and the metric that stands out is SG: Tee-to-Green with the winners ranking third, first, third, first, 15th and fourth. Last year's two playoff protagonists ranked third and second for SG: Tee-to-Green and the 2024 runner-up, Jon Rahm, ranked first.
Rahm has finished first and second for Putting Average on the two occasions he's won here, he ranked 10th in 2024 when beaten in extra time, and when he's finished down the field it's been the putter that's held him back.
Last year's winner, Marco Penge only ranked 17th for PA but Dan Brown, in second, ranked fourth, and Joel Girrback, in third, ranked seventh.
The 2024 winner, Angel Hidalgo, topped the PA rankings, and in the nine editions that we have flat-stick data, six winners have ranked inside the top five for PA so that's probably the stat to concentrate on.
Course form counts at Club de Campo
The 2024 winner, Hidalgo, had course form figures reading 34-MC, Penge missed the cut in his only previous visit and the man he beat in extra time, Brown, had form figures reading MC-57, but up until two years ago course form had counted for plenty.
Rahm has won here three times and Matthieu Pavon had finished second in 2022, before winning in 2023, but the 2021 edition is as good a guide as any to highlight just how well course form stands up here. Cabrera-Bello beat Adri Arnaus in extra time, and the pair had finished second and fourth behind Rahm in the 2019 edition.
Like Rahm, Padraig Harrington has won here twice, and he was second behind Ricardo Gonzalez in 2003 before Gonzalez finished second to Charl Schwartzel in 2008. Rafael Jacquelin was fourth the year before he won here, Retief Goosen had course form figures reading 11-1-7, Brian Davis finished third in 2001 and second in 2002 and Paul Lawrie played here six times and finished inside the top six three times.
Home challenge commands respect
In the 21 years that followed Seve's third and final Open de Espana victory back in 1995, only three Spaniards won the title.
Sergio Garcia won it in 2002, Alvaro Quiros in 2010, and Miguel Angel Jimenez's 21st and final DP World Tour title came in this tournament in 2014, but the home contingent is really enjoying the event of late.
Spaniard, David Puig, traded at as short as 1.331/3 when he led by three after seven holes in round four two years ago, before going on to finish tied for third, and five of the last seven editions have gone the way of a Spaniard.
Last year's renewal was fought out by a pair of Englishmen but in the six editions prior to that, the only non-Spaniard to take the title, Matthieu Pavon, had Spanish roots.
The Frenchman's grandfather was from Madrid, but he moved to France after the Spanish Civil War.
An Englishman has won three of the last nine renewals and British and Irish players have a decent record in this event, but three South Africans have won at this venue, and Zander Lombard has finished fourth and second in two of the last four renewals here.
Great event for longshots
Jon Rahm has won three of the last eight editions and Penge was a 28.027/1 chance before the off 12 months ago but outsiders have flourished in this event lately.
James Morrison was a 500.0499/1 chance when winning a in 2015, Andrew Johnston went off at 140.0139/1 a year later, Cabrera-Bello was a 110.0109/1 shot five years ago, Pavon was generally a 120.0119/1 chance before the off three years ago and Hidalgo went off at a monstrous 420.0419/1 in 2024.
Winner's position and Betfair Exchange price prior to round four
2025 - Marco Penge - led by four 1.331/3
2024 - Angel Hidalgo - led by two 3.613/5
2023 - Matthieu Pavon - led by two 2.6413/8
2022 - Jon Rahm - led by a stroke 1.715/7
2021 - Rafa Cabrera-Bello - led by two 2.546/4
2020 - Tournament Cancelled
2019 - Jon Rahm - solo fourth, trailing by two 3.02/1
In-running history at Club de Campo
Penge sat third, one off the lead, after round one, before leading by one at halfway and the two winners before him both won wire-to-wire.
Jon Rahm was inside the top five places all week long when he won here in 2021 and he sat inside the top four places all week in 2019 when he won here for the first time.
The two course winners before Rahm were both within two of the lead after round one and in front after rounds two and three and Padraig Harrington was never headed after 36 holes in both 1996 and 2000, but a slow start can be overcome.
The 2021 playoff protagonists, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Adri Arnaus, both trailed by six after round one, as did Ricardo Gonzalez in 2003 and Richard Sterne a year later. And Gonzalez trailed by 11 at halfway and by six with a round to go!
The first three holes have averaged over-par in each of the last six editions so it's a slightly tricky start but it's not a tough track by any means and a fast finish is possible.
Grant Forrest flew home at the end in 2021, playing the last seven holes in seven-under-par to grab a share of third and he did something similar two years ago too.
The Scotsman sat tied for 22nd and 10 back after 54 holes but a 64 on Sunday saw him finish tied for third again and Marcel Siem shot 61 in round four three years ago so it's the sort of venue at which a late run can be made.
Over the last 30 years, 11 of the 14 winners have been leading with a round to go but it hasn't always been plain sailing.
The last eight course winners have all been leading between a stroke and seven strokes after 54 holes but three of the last five editions have all gone to extra time.
Cabrera-Bello beat Arnaus in extra time after he'd led by two, Hidalgo beat Rahm in a playoff two years ago, after he too had been two clear after three rounds and Penge gave long odds-on backers an almighty scare last year.
Having led by four with a round to go, Penge traded at as low as 1.031/33 in regulation play before he beat Brown, who had hit a high of 120.0119/1, with a birdie three at the first extra hole.