Four selections from Niall Lyons for the 2026 Open De Espana.
Open de EspanaSee All Odds
Club de Campo, Madrid, Spain. This is the 7th year on the trot that Club de Campo takes up hosting duties and it once again gets a very strong field. Jon Rahm has won this in three of the last seven years at 5/2, 3/1 and 4/1. In 11 of the last 16 stagings of this event a Spaniard has either won or finished second so it pays to concentrate on the home crop of players.
The last two years scoring has been somewhat curtailed with 15 under and 14 under par being the last two winning totals. Neither length nor accuracy is overly favoured but I'd favour the former if anything. Penge was 5th in driving distance last year but he was the only one in the top 15 in that stat who made the top 5 and ties. Rah, Crocker and Puig made the frame a year earlier all featuring in the top 5 in driving distance. Hidalgo and Rahm were 6th and 1st respectively in strokes gained approach that year.
Penge ranked 6th with his irons last year. Pavon was only 27th in approach player the year before and instead made his score on and around the greens ranking 1st in each of those categories. For Rahm the year before that it was a similar tail whilst it was Cabrera Bello's tee to green game that stole the show back in 2021.
Course form holds up reasonably well with Rahm being a double winner whilst Cabrera Bello and Pavon both won these events having been runner up the previous year.
Previous Winners / Winning Score:
- 2025 - M.Penge (-15)
- 2024 - A.Hidalgo (-14)
- 2023 - M.Pavon (-23)
- 2022 - J.Rahm (-25)
- 2021 - R.Cabrera-Bello (-19)
- 2019 - J.Rahm (-22)
- 2018 - J.Rahm (-20)*
*Held at Centra Nacional de Golf
Open de Espana Winner/Contender Stats
Open de Espana Tips
| Player | Bet | Odds | Stake | Terms | Bookmaker | Bet Here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Lowry | Each-way | 18/1 | 3pts E/W | 1/5 odds, 6 places | General | Click Here |
| Angel Ayora | Each-way | 33/1 | 2pts E/W | 1/5 odds, 7 places | Ladbrokes, Coral | Click Here |
| Tom McKibbin | Each-way | 28/1 | 2pts E/W | 1/5 odds, 8 places | Bet365 | Click Here |
Shane Lowry at 18/1 (Six Places)
I backed Shane Lowry in this event last year and he missed the cut but I see no reason to desert him again at the same price as 2025. This was Lowry's first start following his Ryder Cup heroics in New York last year and that could have been a contributing factor to missing the weekends action. The year prior he finished 13th on debut and I really do think this golf course is a perfect fit for the Irishman. That year Lowry opened with a 75 and it was only Rahm who managed a better score (1 shot) over the final three days. Last year Jon Rahm arrived here in much better form and was plenty short enough in the betting. Puig was in better form also and a shorter price than Lowry in 2025. Even with the addition this year of Aberg I'd argue last year had a field of more in form players towards the top of the market. Aberg is winless in over 18 months and not exactly flying himself of late. Thoughts then turn to Lowry who romped the Irish Open two starts ago by eleven shots. A poor week on the greens at Wentworth was the only problem there when finishing 21st. He ranked 7th from tee to green there and 8th the week before in the same category in Ireland. He is a worthy 3rd favourite in the betting but I do feel he is the in form player of all those towards the top and with a perfect course to suit I have to wade in.
Angel Ayora at 33/1 (Seven Places)
Given the home dominance of this event down the years it would be silly not to include a Spaniard in the staking plan and my preference is for Angel Ayora. The winless tag is still attached to this talented youngster but if he is to get over the line Spain is as likely a destination as any. I was keen on him at a slightly bigger price in France a few weeks ago and 28th there was a fair effort given he didn't strike it all to well off the tee there. The rest of his game was in fine shape though, in particular the putter which improves week on week at the minute. If it improved once again he would have a massive chance of winning this event surely. 4th in Crans was a sign of his versatility in not necessarily needing a bombers favoured golf course. One department of his game is proving his undoing almost every week and it's simply a matter of putting all pieces of the jigsaw together. 9th here last year on his second look course form holds up well and alongside Chacarra is probably playing the best stuff of the home contingent.
Tom McKibbin at 28/1 (Eight Places)
Finally, in what is a top heavy strategy from me towards the top of the market I'll include Tom McKibbin. 6th at the British Masters and 5th at Doonbeg have granted McKibbin some wiggle room in the Race to Dubai in terms of securing his card for next year. He now ranks 85th where top 100 is the goal. With plenty of points available over the next month he won't want to rest on his laurels and a trip back to Club de Campo could secure that card. After an opening 71 last year that saw him sit 49th after day one he scored remarkably well from then on to finish 4th. A missed cut at Wentworth isn't a big deal as that course isn't exactly suited to his game but this one in Spain should be right up his street. I expect him to bounce back and he looks a fair price.
