Jon Rahm reflects on the importance of winning the 2025 Spanish Open

Jon Rahm has returned to compete in the Spanish Open as the season nears its end. The tournament holds special meaning for him, having already won it multiple times.

This year’s event also carries extra importance. The R&A and Augusta National Golf Club have announced that the top Spanish golfer not already exempt will earn a place in both The Open and the Masters Tournament. That adds strong motivation for local players aiming for one of golf’s biggest stages.

Jon Rahm, meanwhile, will focus on playing solid golf and putting the mental strain of Bethpage behind him as he returns to familiar and supportive surroundings. Reflecting on that, he said, via ASAP Sports:

"So I will say, I think it's an extreme honor. I think it speaks to the history and the meaning of this event, right? You have a lot of Spanish champions that mean a lot in the history of Augusta National, and I think to get that recognition and that reward with being able to get into that event and The Open Championship, I think it's fantastic."

Rahm said that golf needed this kind of recognition. He explained that many people had made an impact on the game, and giving The Open, one of the oldest events in Continental Europe and on the European Tour, the honor it deserved was important. He added that rewarding the champion with invitations to two of the majors made sense because, in his view, those were possibly the two biggest tournaments in golf.

"I think it's very, very important, very, very happy that it's happening. And I hope it's a young Spanish player, if it's not one of us, gets a chance to go out and perform in those great venues. Because it's never easy to make it there, and to win your National Open and then get rewarded with going to next year at Birkdale and then Augusta National, it's quite special," he added.

Jon Rahm will be one of the main attractions in the field, drawing huge support from local fans eager to see him perform well on home soil.

Jon Rahm dubs Ryder Cup week as the toughest week of his career

Jon Rahm played a key role in helping Europe win the Ryder Cup in the United States two weeks ago, where the loud home crowd gave the European players a tough time from the start.

“That week in New York was mentally the toughest week of my career, but at the same time it was the most fun I’ve had,” he said on Tuesday. “What happened there during those three days was something inhospitable. At times I couldn’t believe it.”

Jon Rahm partnered with Tyrrell Hatton at Bethpage Black, and both were among the main targets of the New York crowd.