The 89th edition of the Open de Espana kicks off Thursday with a host of Spain’s best players turning up for the event, which has proven to be the most difficult on the European Tour to repeat as champion.
Raphael Jacquelin has that opportunity this year, and if he succeeds, he would be the first man since 1953 to do so.
The clear favorite in the field is native Sergio Garcia, currently ranked No. 7 in the world. Pablo Larrazabal, who won Abu Dhabi earlier in the season, is also slated to compete.
The tournament has a rotating host site, and was last held at the PGA Catalunya in 2009, with Thomas Levet victorious. The Frenchman is also part of this year’s field.
There are five past winners of Catalunya in the field: Levet, Thomas Bjorn, Simon Khan, Simon Wakefield and Carlos Del Moral.
The course, which opened in 1999, is a par-72, 7,172-yard masterpiece. It ranges in length from the 185-yard No. 8 to the 542-yard No. 7, one of four par-5s on the course.
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