Inspired Angel Hidalgo Defeats Jon Rahm In A Playoff To Win Exhilarating Open De Espana

Hello and welcome to Golf Monthly's coverage of the Open de Espana's closing stages at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid in the nation's capital city. 

We look to be in store for a brilliant three-way battle between a trio of capable Spaniards, with LIV Golf's Jon Rahm the favorite to secure a record fourth Open de Espana crown and move past the legendary Seve Ballesteros.

Thank you for tuning in, and we will join the action as the back nine begins for the leading three in Madrid.

THREE BECOMES TWO

There are seven holes left to play in Madrid, and Puig is the first to blink on the back nine. After getting himself into a bit of trouble, he escapes with what is a very good bogey in the end - tapping in from five feet or so.

Rahm and Hidalgo go close with birdie attempts from longer range, but neither are successful and they remain at -13 while Puig drops back to -12.

RAHM WITH BIRDIE CHANCE

Hidalgo was a little unlucky with his drive after it found an old pitch mark just in the right rough, and his approach scuttled to the back of the green - giving him a really tough putt ahead. Meanwhile, David Puig is in a similar position from the fairway.

Rahm - with wedge in hand - has dropped a perfect shot into the front section of the green which wiggled its way down to six feet. This could be a telling moment in the tournament...

FLEETWOOD FIRING

Elsewhere, Fleetwood is up to nine-under after managing to find a third birdie of the day through 15 holes.

NO DICE FOR RAHM

Hidalgo rolled his first putt down the hill but it is still in that awkward range. No problem for the co-leader, though, as he taps in and gives a little fist pump towards the camera as he passes.

Puig, slightly closer in, also fails to find the target on his first attempt before knocking in for par.

Most shockingly of all, Rahm sees his birdie chance lip out on the left edge when it appeared for all money that it would drop.

CASE OF THE SLICES

The tee shot on the 13th is blind for the players, so they have to pick a line and trust it. Hidalgo does a good job and finds the fairway, but his playing partners are wide and then wide some more.

Puig is just off to the side but gets lucky and finds a bare patch of dead grass, while Rahm is unlikely to have been as fortunate, watching his booming slice fly off the cart path and settle a long way off line.

HIDALGO IN POLE POSITION

Hidalgo is in the fairway but goes first, firing into about 150 yards before watching his golf ball zip and stop flag high. He must have no more than six to eight feet left. That's a great chance for birdie.

Puig was required to hit a high cut but failed to make the ball cut and saw his ball nestle down in the heavy rough short and left of the green. Far from ideal.

Speaking of not ideal, Rahm had plenty of gaps in between high trees but tried to hit a looping draw with a wedge. I'm told that's tough. I've never hit one on purpose... Back to the pros, Rahm's second shot goes maybe 50 yards after clipping a tree and he is forced to punch one forward into the bunker ahead of his fourth.

UNLUCKY 13

Puig was faced with a horribly difficult shot, ball below his feet and in some thick rough. Somehow, he manages to leave it just outside Hidalgo's ball. Really good. But he can't take advantage and he will drop a shot.

Rahm's bunker shot - his fourth - just about dribbles to around the same range, and he will go first as he tries to make bogey. It's a horrible try, though, and he mutters plenty in Spanish as he makes double and falls back to -11.

Hidalgo had the best angle and watched both men go before him, but even he can't make the putt! He remains at -13 and has a one-stroke lead over Jens Fahrbring, with the Swede on five-under and a hole ahead. Hidalgo is at even par for the day.

HIDALGO MOVES FURTHER AHEAD

Jens Fahrbring, the Swede, is suddenly right in this tournament on -12! Or rather, he was... Hidalgo has crunched a drive down 14, and around the same time, Fahrbring leaves his par putt agonizingly short on 15. He's dropped a shot and is back to -11. 

Hidalgo has a two-stroke lead once more...

HEROIC FROM HIDALGO

Hidalgo has over-cut his approach shot on the par-5 14th and faces a really tough task to make par over the long bunker in front. But behold the genius! He launches his highest-lofted wedge up towards the sun and it drops onto the green. Somehow, Hidalgo has a birdie chance. And he makes it! Incredible. That's unbelievable, given where he was and the other circumstances.

Rahm had pre-emptively responded and is in for birdie after going down the par-5 in a much more straightforward fashion. His 7-iron skipped to the back of the green and gave him a simple eagle chip. That had a look in the hole but opted to stay above ground. 

Meanwhile, Puig settles for par and is fast treading water.

PUIG CRUMBLING

Rahm rockets his drive down the middle of the 15th while the leader takes a bit bite of luck as his sliced strike finds a fairway bunker when the trees and other bad stuff were calling. It pin balled around and actually escaped the sand, finally resting in the rough. When your luck is in...

Last to go, Puig sends his drive wildly off target and may even have to reload. That's in the area where your playing partner conveniently declares that he has somehow found his ball after 2:50 of searching... He chips out into the rough and kind of duffs his chip thereafter. The next chip was excellent but just stopped short, and he's back to -10 alongside Fleetwood, who has just closed with a birdie.

TWO CLEAR WITH THREE TO PLAY

Hidalgo nestles his 30-40 foot putt to within two feet up the hill, and he eventually slams in for par. There doesn't seem to be any sign of nerves from the leader - he is quite simply buzzing!

Rahm, aiming to put the pressure on, drags his own birdie effort from 12-15 feet just left. More frustration for the LIV man.

RAHM IN TROUBLE

Hidalgo crunches another whipped drive down the middle, just before Rahm pulls his drive horribly left into the danger area. Rahm's only hit the fairway once on this hole all week and will hit a provisional. Puig is OK but it's a long way right - the story of his day with the driver, I'm afraid to report.

Rahm's first drive is OK, but he blasts the drawn approach through the back of the green where it sits down into the rough. Tough times.

ANGEL IN TOUCHING DISTANCE

I'm not sure anyone knows how Angel Hidalgo is doing this, but the leader has played an absolutely outstanding approach shot and has another outside birdie chance. It looked as though he'd blasted it well right, but it somehow curved back and landed on the dancefloor.

Rahm chips close and should make his par from about the same distance as Hidalgo has left, potentially just a little further out. He rolls it in, as does Puig, and as does Hidalgo.

Angel is two in front with two holes to play. Next up, the final par 3...

HARDEST HOLE ON THE COURSE

The 17th is the hardest hole on the course, averaging 3.27 shots. At 190 yards through the trees, it has seen 138 bogeys or worse so far. Angel Hidalgo will hope he doesn't make it 139...

RAHM PILES PRESSURE ON

Oh, he's unlucky! Hidalgo loved the line he sent his golf ball on, but it just bounced on the front edge of the fringe and fired off to the back of the green before ending in the rough. It's not too bad, though, and he should still be able to make par from there.

In response, Rahm delivers a delightful shot into the green and has maybe 20 feet for birdie. Puig - who has been slicing the heck out of it all day - pulls his tee shot into the left bunker. Typical.

DEAN JOINS HUGE GROUP IN T3

Joe Dean makes birdie on 18 to reach that ever-increasing group on -10. That's six players on that score. He's enjoyed a brilliant season, has the Englishman.

Patrick Reed follows suit to end on -8. A decent week for the American and into the top-10.

RAHM BIRDIES 17

Wow, what a chip from the rough by Hidalgo. Not the toughest, but - equally - far from straight forward. He left it a foot or two out and taps in for par ahead of Rahm's birdie chance from range.

The two-time Major champion makes it! He's only one back going down the highly-scoreable 18th and will make Hidalgo really earn the victory. This ain't over, people! 

NOTHING IN IT

Rahm absolutely cracks his drive 300 yards on the fly and it bounds into the rough out the back-left of the green. It does look to be in a tough position as far as a stance goes, but there is plenty of green to work with, so it might not be too bad.

Going second, Hidalgo strikes it beautifully but the ball just won't emerge out of the rough ahead of the green, front left. Ball is sitting up and the flag is in the opposite corner, so this is about how well he can control his nerves now. Hidalgo has been exemplary today, but can he do it one more time? We're about to find out...

RAHM ASKS THE QUESTION

From three ahead to a long way back, Puig has endured a horrible Sunday. But he sticks a classy flop shot to 10 feet from a nasty lie and location out to the right. To finish it off, he scores his first birdie of the back nine. Well done, David!

Hidalgo sends his chip salsa-dancing along the green before it comes to attention some four feet out, up the hill. He has a chance to win.

Rahm had to chip in to reach a playoff or maybe win outright, but it came out right on him and he was left with a seven-foot birdie putt. He makes it and asks the question of Hidalgo...

WE'RE GOING TO A PLAYOFF

But no! Hidalgo has pushed his birdie putt and we'll go back down 18 in a playoff! Rahm still has the opportunity to earn that historic fourth Open de Espana.

HOME FANS PICK THEIR FAVORITE

Chants of "Hidaaalgo! Hidaaalgo! Hidaaalgo!" rain down from the stands as the youngster comes out waving his arms around and whipping up the crowd. I have to say, I didn't expect this reaction after such a crushing blow so recently. Power to him, he is likely to need it against the two-time Major champion.

The home fans have clearly picked their favorite. This is quite something.

HIDALGO ON THE GREEN AS RAHM REPEATS

Hidalgo has the honor and hits it perfectly in terms of line, but it's only just on the front edge of the green. That is A LONG WAY, even for an eagle putt.

Quite coincidentally, Rahm has blasted his tee shot into almost exactly the same place as he did 15 minutes ago. He made birdie from there and he wasn't exactly happy with his chip. Great players like Rahm learn their lesson, so he's unlikely to make the same mistake again. Rahm is expected to make three, so what can the young pretender do?

BOTH FOR BIRDIE

Hidalgo's eagle putt was almost spot on in terms of the weight, but he's some six to eight feet right of the hole. Rahm's lie in the rough was... rough, and he scuffs the wedge shot to eight feet. It's an easier putt, right to left, and Rahm will go first.

RAHM IN FOR BIRDIE

Rahm rolls it in and Hidalgo must make or it's all over...

ANGEL RESPONDS

Hidalgo makes a much better stroke than his previous effort and it's a birdie apiece! His caddie is loving this. He's fist-pumping to the crowd as they catch the golf cart back down to the 18th tee. 

ADVANTAGE HIDALGO

Hidalgo, the 26-year-old from Marbella, didn't hit the same line as before on his third attempt, but it's just about OK, running along the rough line to the right of the green in front of the bunkers. It's a simple enough chip, and he has to fancy making a three at this point.

Rahm drills his drive left but it doesn't quite cut back enough and it's found the rough once again. It might even be in free-drop territory if it's gone underneath the grandstand... Either way, Hidalgo is now favorite.

NOW OR NEVER FOR RAHM

Rahm doesn't have free relief as the ball didn't quite reach the grandstand, and he's flown his wedge shot through the green into the rough on the other side. The ball was well below his feet and settled down. That was really hard to control, even for him.

Meanwhile, Hidalgo chips down the hill to kick-in range and is odds-on to make a three. It's now or never with a wedge for Rahm...

RAHM FORCED TO SETTLE FOR PAR

Rahm misses with his chip and tidies up for par from three or four feet past the hole. It's now over to Hidalgo again.

ANGEL HIDALGO WINS THE 2024 OPEN DE ESPANA

He's finally done it! Angel Hidalgo taps his golf ball into the bottom of the hole for birdie and immediately breaks down in tears before being showered in champagne by friends and colleagues. 

Rahm embraces him, too, before the 26-year-old greets more of his family and friends - including his parents, who had both recently undergone surgery. What a truly special day for Hidalgo. He defeats Jon Rahm in a playoff to win his home country's open. That is the stuff of dreams.

A GREAT DAY FOR THE DP WORLD TOUR

NEVER GIVE UP

Angel Hidalgo only earned his DP World Tour card a couple of years ago. For the next couple of years at least, he won't have to worry about status thanks to this week's victory.