Open de Espana: Jon Rahm four shots behind leader Matthieu Pavon after first round of Spanish Open

Jon Rahm is followed all day by a large crowd at the Club de Campo during a national holiday in Spain while he occupies 17th place, four shots behind leader Matthieu Pavon; watch the Spanish Open live on Sky Sports Golf from 1pm Friday

Jon Rahm got off to a strong start in his bid to surpass Seve Ballesteros’ three Spanish Open titles, shooting a four-under 67 to move within four shots of the lead after Thursday’s first round.

Matthieu Pavon leads the rankings after a 63 at Club de Campo Villa in Madrid including seven birdies, an eagle and a bogey.

Wil Besseling is one shot back from second place, while Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Pedro Figueiredo and Eddie Pepperell are another shot behind and tied for third place. Among those at five-under are Marcel Siem and Shubhankar Sharma.

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Rahm’s round, his first since helping Europe win the Ryder Cup two weeks ago, included five birdies and a bogey on the 18th hole – his ninth hole of the day – after an erratic drive that led to an approach shot into the bunker.

“It’s a good score. You can’t win it on the first day, but I put myself in a good position,” Rahm said.

Rahm took a week off after the Ryder Cup, where he won three points to help Europe defeat the United States at Marco Simone in Italy.

“Once you come back to tournament week, it’s business as usual. It’s always easier to come back to a regular event rather than flip it for the Ryder Cup, simply because the Ryder Cup is so unique , it takes place once every two years, while this one “It’s just one more week in the year. Obviously, it’s a pretty important week for me,” he added.

Jon Rahm is 17th but is only four shots behind leader Matthieu Pavon.

Rahm matched Ballesteros’ three Spanish Open titles by winning in Madrid last year. He also won the tournament in 2018 and 2019. Ballesteros won the last of his 50 titles on the European tour at the Spanish Open in 1995.

“I feel like I drove so well that I wish I had a few more opportunities. I put myself in the right spots quite often. Hopefully I can continue to hit the green like that and just do a few putts the rest of the week,” Rahm said.

“The beauty of something like that, you know, maybe when I’m not hitting my best shots, I’m just using that crowd to my advantage, using the energy of the crowd.

Pavon leads the way after opening day at Club de Campo Villa in Madrid

Rahm and No. 36 Justin Rose are the only players in the top 50 listed in the field this week. Rose, who was also on the European Ryder Cup team, shot 71 after a disappointing first round that included a double bogey on the par-four second hole. He only made two birdies that day.

Alex Fitzpatrick and Edoardo Molinari both shot 69. The top Spaniard after the first day was Victor Garca Broto, a local qualifier who was among those who shot 65.

The European tour remains in Spain next week with the Andalusia Masters.

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