At the start of the week, it wasn't even clear as to whether Jon Rahm would tee it up at the Open de Espana but, following four rounds in the 60s, the Spaniard found himself in a playoff which, although he lost, still capped off an impressive week.
On Wednesday, news broke that Rahm's wife, Kelley, had given birth to their third child and that Rahm would, therefore, be present in Madrid as he searched for a record-breaking fourth title in his home open.
Although he birdied the final two holes on Sunday to get into the playoff with fellow countryman, Angel Hidalgo, Rahm fell short on the second hole, as a par wasn't good enough to compete with Hidalgo's birdie.
Despite this, both showed incredible respect for one another, as Hidalgo claimed Rahm is the "most important player in the last 20 years or 30 years in Spain." In return Rahm, the two-time Major winner, sent a classy message to Hidalgo, stating: "May he enjoy it. Winning at home, winning a Spanish Open with all the support that there has been. You could tell how much he felt it and how important it was for him. May he learn from these moments and enjoy them."
Using the event as one of his four qualifying tournaments for the Ryder Cup, Rahm was, overall, pleased with his play for the week, as he claimed: "Thinking 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 can't say it has been a bad week. 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."
As mentioned, Rahm has now played two qualifying events for the Ryder Cup and, needing to play another two to meet the criteria of Team Europe, we will see the LIV Golfer at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship next week, as well as the Andalucia Masters at the end of October.
