August 17, 2015 – Spain’s contribution to European golf is considerable, bringing forth players of great style and flair, and producing a Ryder Cup legend who would become one of the world’s greatest sports stars of all time, Severiano Ballesteros.

When the young Seve exploded onto the scene, something, changed. Fans clamoured to see the new star from Spain as he strode confidently across Europe’s fairways, driving the sport into a new era. The ‘Ballesteros effect’ revolutionised the game. His bold, attacking long game, characterised by wild drives and belief-beggaring escapes, combined with a warm charm and a natural rapport with fans gave the game a new image, both in Spain and abroad. No longer was it exclusively for an older, distinguished crowd; Seve was the people’s champion and helped make golf accessible and attractive to all. The sheer passion with which he played reached out across national and social divides and invited everyone to join the Spanish golf fiesta.

Not only did he ignite the passion in Spanish golf, he led the way for the re-emergence of European golf, helping the European Ryder Cup Team to five wins both as a player and captain. José María Olazábal and Seve, affectionately known as the “Spanish Armada” – helped by Manuel Piñero – became the most successful pairing in Ryder Cup history, winning 11 of their 15 matches together. The 12 points they have earned over the years is double that of the next pairing. Seve, along with others, re-energized and re-invigorated the sport across Europe and his legacy now lives on.

Following in the footsteps of Ballesteros and Olazábal, Spain currently have six players in the Top 150 – Sergio García, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Pablo Larrazábal, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Alejandro Cañizares and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño. Throughout the years, wave after wave of Spanish golfers have risen to the top of the ranks, continually impressing with its breadth and depth of talent. And this trend shows no signs of stopping. Jon Rahm-Rodríguez is the first ranked amateur in the world and is showing signs of being the next big Spanish star, and with Mario Galiano also in the top, Spain’s future stars are already starting to shine.

PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF PLAYING IN, AND HOSTING, THE RYDER CUP

• 86 European Tour events hosted since 1997 – twice the number hosted by Germany or Portugal in the same period.
• 38 appearances by Spanish golfers in The Ryder Cup since 1979
• The first Spanish Open was in 1912, still going strong 103 years later.
• 2 winning Ryder Cup captains: Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal

Spain has had a player represented in every edition of The Ryder Cup since 1979. Spanish players have captained The European Ryder Cup Team twice. Spain has hosted the oly European Ryder Cup to be held outside of the UK & Ireland (Valderrama, 1997) and have hosted more European Tour events than any competitor nation. No other nation has contributed more to European golf than Spain in the modern era.

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