Shubhankar Sharma from India delivered a commendable performance, carding a 66 in the first round. His 5-under-par score put him in contention for the tournament. Sharma's round consisted of 34 on the front nine and an impressive 32 on the back nine. His solid play earned him a spot near the top of the leaderboard, showcasing his skill and potential to compete at a high level in international golf competitions.

 

 

Shubhankar Sharma

 

 

On the other hand, Manu Gandas, also from India, faced a challenging day on the course. He scored 2-over par, struggling to gain momentum in the tournament's first round.

 

 

Manu Gandas

 

 

Jon Rahm made a strong start in his quest for a fourth Open de España title, shooting a solid 4-under 67 in the first round. This performance positioned him just four shots behind the leader after the opening day of Spain's national open. Matthieu Pavon seized the top spot on the leaderboard with an impressive 63 at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Pavon's round featured seven birdies, an eagle, and a lone bogey. Following closely was Wil Besseling, trailing by one shot in second place, while Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Pedro Figueiredo, and Eddie Pepperell shared third place, one stroke further behind. Among the players at 5 under were Marcel Siem and Shubhankar Sharma.

 

 

Jon Rahm's first round, his first since the Ryder Cup two weeks ago, included five birdies and a bogey on the 18th hole, which was his ninth hole of the day. The bogey came as a result of an errant drive that led to a challenging approach shot into a bunker. Rahm remained optimistic, stating, "It's a good score. You can't win it on the first day, but I've put myself in a good position."

 

 

After contributing three points to Europe's victory over the United States at the Ryder Cup held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Italy, Rahm took a week off. Reflecting on the transition back to regular tournament play, Rahm mentioned, "Once you get back into the tournament week, it's business as usual. It's always easier to come back to a regular event than flip it for the Ryder Cup, just because the Ryder Cup is so unique, it's once every two years, whereas this is just one more week throughout the year. Obviously, it's a pretty big week for me."

 

 

Rahm's victory in Madrid last year equaled the three Spanish Open titles won by Seve Ballesteros. He had previously clinched the tournament in 2018 and 2019. Ballesteros, an iconic figure in Spanish golf, claimed the last of his 50 titles on the DP World Tour at the Spanish Open in 1995. Rahm expressed his satisfaction with his driving performance, saying, "I feel like I drove it so good, I wish I would have taken advantage of a couple of the other opportunities. I put myself in the right spots often enough. Hopefully, I can keep hitting it to the green like that and just make a few putts the rest of the week." Rahm enjoyed the support of a large crowd on a national holiday in Spain and acknowledged the energy of the fans, noting that he used their enthusiasm to his advantage.