Open de España 2026: Sergio García starts one shot back after opening 67

Image: Sergio García during the 2015 Masters. Photograph by Ryan Schreiber, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped for editorial use.

The biggest name never reached the first tee, but the Open de España did not need long to find a new storyline. Sergio García opened with a four-under-par 67 at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, exactly thirty years after making his debut in the event. One shot ahead of him, Eugenio Chacarra somehow shared the lead while playing with a broken toe.

Chacarra, Connor Syme and Grant Forrest signed for rounds of 66 to set the pace at five under. García shares fourth place with Ángel Ayora, Daniel Hillier and Jacob Skov Olesen. With Jon Rahm at home awaiting the birth of his fourth child, the home crowd still has two Spanish players within one shot of the lead.

Open de España 2026 after round one

	Details
Dates	8-11 October 2026
Venue	Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Black Course
Course	Par 71, 7,112 yards
Tour	DP World Tour
Prize fund	$3.75 million
Leaders	Eugenio Chacarra, Connor Syme and Grant Forrest, -5
Leading Spaniards	Chacarra -5; Sergio García and Ángel Ayora -4
Defending champion	Marco Penge

Chacarra's 66 came with a broken toe

Of the three leaders, Chacarra produced the round that was hardest to explain. The 26-year-old Spaniard played through a broken middle toe on his right foot and was visibly uncomfortable walking the course. His swing remained good enough to produce two eagles and the lowest opening round of his seven appearances in the national championship.

The score was impressive, but the more important question came afterwards. Chacarra said he would need to see how his foot reacted overnight before deciding how to approach Friday. He has important tournaments ahead and made clear that walking was considerably more painful than hitting the ball.

That leaves the tournament with an unusual leader. Chacarra has already won twice on the DP World Tour in 2026 and is one of the season's strongest Spanish players. He may also have to manage every step for another three rounds. His position at the top is real, but so is the uncertainty around it.

Syme and Forrest made their 66s by very different routes. Syme raced to five under on his opening nine, helped by a putt from more than fifty feet at the 15th. He briefly held the outright lead before a late bogey brought him back to the pack. Forrest recovered from two bogeys and closed with three birdies across his final six holes.

García celebrates thirty years with an eagle

García's opening round carried its own history. In 1996, aged sixteen, he made his Open de España debut as an amateur on this same course and finished level with Seve Ballesteros. He won the championship at El Cortijo six years later, becoming its youngest champion.

Three decades after that first appearance, García began his latest challenge with an eagle at the par-five fourth. Birdies at the seventh, 12th, 14th and 15th more than covered bogeys at the sixth and 13th. His 67 was especially valuable because the wind strengthened during the afternoon and the greens had become less predictable after a full day of play.

The round was controlled rather than spectacular throughout. García found enough fairways and greens to keep pressure off his short game, then took advantage when the scoring holes offered an opening. On a course that rewards positioning more than raw length, that is a credible formula for the weekend.

It also gave the Madrid crowd a familiar contender. García has played the event across four decades and returned in 2025 after a six-year absence. At 46, he is trying to win his national open for the second time, 24 years after his victory in the Canary Islands.

Ayora adds another Spanish challenge

García is not the only home player one shot back. Ángel Ayora matched his 67 and did so with two eagles of his own. The 22-year-old from Málaga has become one of the most closely watched young players in Spanish golf, and his fast start gives the tournament another strong local storyline.

Hillier joined them at four under after making his first DP World Tour hole-in-one. His tee shot from 187 yards at the 17th found the cup and earned him a new BMW. Skov Olesen completed a bogey-free 67, while eight players finished another shot behind on 68.

Not every prominent player found the same momentum. Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed opened with a 73, two over par, on his return from injury. Defending champion Marco Penge also has ground to make up after the first round. With the cut coming after 36 holes, Friday is already important at both ends of the leaderboard.

Why Jon Rahm is not playing

Rahm had been scheduled to headline the field but withdrew two days before the opening round. His wife Kelley is expecting their fourth child, a daughter, and Rahm remained with his family.

The absence is significant. Rahm had played every edition since 2018 and won three of them, in 2018, 2019 and 2022. He also came close in 2024, losing a play-off to Ángel Hidalgo. Few players are more closely associated with the modern Open de España.

Yet the first round showed why a national open should not depend on one star. Chacarra and Ayora represent the next Spanish generation, while García connects the current tournament with the era of Ballesteros. The home challenge has changed shape, but it has not disappeared.

A course that makes players think

The Black Course at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid was designed by Javier Arana and opened in 1956. It is a par 71 lined by mature trees, with angled fairways and greens that place a premium on controlling the approach. The 17th has the smallest green on the course, while the short closing par four offers one final chance to attack.

At 7,112 yards, it is not exceptionally long by modern tour standards. That does not make it simple. Miss from the tee and the trees narrow the route to the green. Find the wrong section of a putting surface and a routine par can quickly become uncomfortable. The afternoon wind added another layer on Thursday, which made García's 67 look stronger than the number alone suggests.

The venue has produced dramatic finishes in consecutive years. Hidalgo beat Rahm in a play-off in 2024. Penge then defeated Daniel Brown in extra holes in 2025 after losing a four-shot lead during the final round. Both play-offs reached the risk-and-reward 18th.

More than a national title

The DP World Tour lists a $3.75 million prize fund, with 5,000 Race to Dubai points and 1,500 Ryder Cup qualification points available. The timing makes those points particularly valuable. Only the tournaments in India and South Korea remain before the season moves into the play-offs.

There are also two Major incentives. The winner earns an invitation to the 2027 Masters, while the leading player not already exempt will secure a place in The Open at St Andrews through the Open Qualifying Series.

Spain's national championship was first played in 1912 and is the third-oldest national open in Europe. It was also part of the European Tour's inaugural season in 1972. That history gives the trophy weight, but the first round in Madrid supplied a more immediate reason to follow the weekend.

García is one shot back, Ayora is beside him, and Chacarra leads despite every step hurting. Rahm may be missing, but the Open de España already has enough tension of its own.

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