Happy ending/start in Spain/China?
Rahm hopes to finish year strong in Andalucía; Ding makes big splash in pro debut
Jon Rahm will call it a year after this week’s Andalucía Masters (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
In September, Angel Hidalgo took down Jon Rahm at the Spanish Open in a playoff.
Now three weeks later, Rahm wants payback at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
Hidalgo and Rahm are both from Spain, and playing in their home country makes the week in Madrid and now in Sotogrande bigger than just a normal DP World Tour event.
“There is more pressure since I won in Madrid,” Hidalgo said on Wednesday. “There is more media attention and interviews, and more is expected of me on the golf course. I am trying to stay calm, focus on hitting some good shots, and hole my putts.”
The 26-year-old Hidalgo's win in late September was his first, and winning in his home country made it even sweeter for the kid from just up the coast in Costa del Sol at Marbella.
“These events are great for Spanish golf and I’m sure the final round in Madrid has encouraged many young people to take up the game of golf,” Hidalgo said. “I’m very happy to be inspiring the next generation.”
For Rahm, he was coming off the birth of another child when he arrived in Madrid.
Playing a course he knew helped, but in the end he couldn’t get it done in a playoff.
Now that he has had proper time to settle in with his new baby, Rahm is ready to take on a field that includes Hidalgo. He hopes to join Sergio Garcia (three times) and Adrián Otaegui as Spanish winners of the Andalucía Masters.
“I think my emotions can be heightened when playing in front of the Spanish crowds,” Rahm said. “Obviously, I always want to do well, but when I come home, it’s something that makes me want to play a little bit better and is one of the reasons I have done so well in the past. I’m looking forward to the week, and hopefully, I can do well again.”
Rahm and Hidalgo both shot 2-under 70 in the opening round Thursday, eight off the pace set by Julien Guerrier of France.
Madrid’s event, played at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, was a classic tree-lined course with narrow fairways. This week’s Andalucía Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande presents a more modern venue.
Add in the considerable rain that has fallen on the course, and the scoring will likely be lower.
“Sotogrande is a beautiful golf course, a classic design, and it’s known all over Spain; you need wind on this golf course because otherwise, it can feel a little bit short,” Rahm said. “We’ve had a lot of rain, so the greens should be quite receptive, and you can be very aggressive with your approach play. If we don’t get the wind, I think you can expect to see some low scores out there. It’s unusual to have four days in a row without wind, so I think it will come.”
Rahm, whose LIV Golf season concluded last month with him taking the individual title, had a brief respite before what will likely be his final tournament of 2024. He’s made three DP World starts in the last four weeks in order to fulfill the minimum requirement to retain his tour status and be eligible for the 2025 Ryder Cup.
“These events on the DP World Tour always happen at the end of the year for me so it feels like it takes a little longer to recharge,” Rahm said. “I’ve been home; the kids had a full break in the United States, so to have all three of them at home all week was a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work, but I don’t usually get the chance to be Dad for that long, so mentally, it was a very nice break for me.”
Wenyi Ding wasted little time getting started on pro career after winning Asia-Pacific Am (Courtesy AAC)
Ding roars out of gate in pro debut
Two weeks after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, China’s Wenyi Ding is excited to test his game as a newly minted professional on the Challenge Tour this week at the Hangzhou Open in his home country.
On familiar turf where he competed in the 2022 Asian Games, Ding got off to a rollicking 66-65 to take the lead at 11-under through 36 holes at Hangzhou West Lake Golf Club.
“I’m excited for the tournament, but for me I feel normal and just want to play well,” he said.
Ding earned and accepted a DP World Tour card for next season as the inaugural winner of the Global Amateur Pathway ranking. The 19-year-old’s APAC win solidified his standing atop the non-collegiate amateur ranking.
Launched by the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and The R&A in June, the Global Amateur Pathway ranking period ended last week, and Ding opted to join the paid ranks and forfeit his amateur qualification to the Masters and British Open that came with winning the Asia-Pacific Am.
He intends to begin his 2025 Race to Dubai campaign in Australia in late November. He said he struggled with the choice for a week — “I couldn’t eat or sleep” — but knew the opportunity to have immediate status on the DP World Tour was too good to pass up.
“It was a hard choice,” he said of accepting a DPWT card and giving up his place in the Masters and Open. “I was struggling to make that decision after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. But after consulting my family, I believe this will be the right decision.
“With the Global Amateur Pathway, it has also been really good for non-collegiate players like me to make that decision and earn their professional tour card if they play well.
“There are a lot of talented players on the DP World Tour and it’s good I have the chance to compete against the best players in the world now."
Ding — the first Chinese player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2022 — is confident that traveling the world on the DP World Tour will help him develop as a golfer as he transitions from being an amateur. He has made five previous DP World Tour starts as an amateur, including last year’s Singapore Classic where he was the 36-hole leader.
“You play in Asia, Europe, South Africa, all around the world,” he said.
Ding’s father, Feng, is his caddie this week.
“It’s going to be a proud moment for me and my dad as I compete in my first event as a professional,” Ding said. “He has helped me a lot and has been my pillar of support all these years.
“While I’m really excited to be playing my first professional tournament at home, I also want to make it feel as normal as possible and try not to put too much pressure on myself.”
The father-son caddie partnership could continue to some extent on the DP World Tour next season.
“If I play in Europe, I will probably find a caddie just traveling Europe, but maybe in Asia or in South Africa or elsewhere I think my dad will caddie for me,” Ding said. “I know he helped me a lot and worked really hard for me and taught me to play golf, so he must be excited too.”