Who are the best golf players in the history of golf in Spain?
In the last article, we talked about the best players in the history of golf, but in Spain, we have great golfers who have made a place in the minds of all professionals and hearts of amateurs. As in Cabopino Golf Marbella, we support the national talent, we have made a list, following a chronological order, of the best golfers in Spain.
Ángel Miguel Gutiérrez – Madrid 1929
Easily confused with Miguel Ángel Jiménez, he was undoubtedly the first of Europe’s golfers to shine at the international level. He became the standard-bearer of the Spanish golf scene during the 50s and 60s. This post-war sportsman meant the debut of golf as a sport in Spain and it took 25 years for golf to become established in the country and reach the masses with Seve Ballesteros.
His list of honours includes:
1 Canadian Open
9 participations in the World Cup (current Ryder Cup)
1 PGA Championship
Severiano Ballesteros – Cantabria 1957
About 270,000 people play golf in Spain. But if it wasn’t for this golfer, they would probably be playing another sport. Seve meant a before and after in the history of Spanish sport, introducing golf in the mental landscape of an entire nation.
Severiano Ballesteros came to the sport at a very early age and thanks to his father being the groundsman at the Pedreña golf course. He turned professional at the age of 17, and soon after, his name began to be heard loud and clear in world golf. His arrival caused a great impact, and after winning the British Open in 1979, he was the first European to win the Masters at Augusta, where he would wear the mythical green jacket at the age of just 23. No one had ever done it so young. Seve was a world reference, winning 96 tournaments during his career. Undoubtedly, Severiano Ballesteros has been the best Spanish golfer.
His list of honours includes:
2 Augusta Masters
3 British Opens
4 Ryder Cups as a player
1 Ryder Cup as coach
Miguel Ángel Jiménez – Andalusia 1964
Miguel Ángel Jiménez, ‘El pisha’, as he is known on the professional circuit, has made history as the player with the most tournaments played on the European Tour, surpassing the figure of 700. During his professional career, he won 23 tournaments and has won several majors as a senior. His perennial smile next to a cigar is an image that all golf fans keep in their memory. His great sense of humour has not gone unnoticed in his career and, far from retiring, he is still on the circuit today.
José María Olazábal – Guipúzcoa 1966
For José María Olazábal, Seve was a point of reference. The player from Guipuzcoa made his professional debut at the age of 20, but it was in the 1990s that he achieved his greatest successes, including two Augusta Masters. His great work from his first tournaments allowed him to continue to be the player who needed the fewest tournaments to achieve his first eight victories: he did it in 66 appearances, less than Tiger Woods himself needed.
He formed with Severiano Ballesteros the greatest Ryder Cup pairing of all time, an event in which he was regularly called upon to represent the European team.
His honours list includes:
2 Augusta Masters
5 Ryder Cups (4 as player and 1 as captain).
Sergio García – Castellón 1980
After the departure of Olazábal and Jiménez from the professional circuit, the weight of Spanish golf fell on the shoulders of Sergio García. Nicknamed ‘El Niño’ for being a talent who dazzled while still very young. He is among the five best Spanish golf players of all time, but also the best in the world in the 21st century. He won the Augusta Masters in 2017 and contributed to Europe winning six Ryder Cups out of the nine editions in which he has participated. His impossible shots have marked his career in which he has won more than 35 titles, one of them being a major.
Jon Rahm – Vizcaya 1994
The latest to make the list of Spain’s best golfers is Jon Rahm, but he has done so in his own right. Despite his youth, he has already won 12 tournaments and fought for victory in the majors, occupying the top positions and reaching number 1 in the world rankings, something that only Seve Ballesteros had previously achieved among Spanish players.
During his amateur period, he managed to be number one in the world ranking for 60 weeks, something that nobody else has achieved.
The specialised media predict a great professional career for him. And all of us who love golf keep our eyes on his shots, hoping that, with time, he will become another great Spanish golfer who can remain on the list of the best Spanish or world golfers forever.
Without a doubt, from Severiano Ballesteros to Jon Rahm, these are the best Spanish golf players of all time. This sport keeps growing in our country, and whose future is assured with another huge amount of good players who are pushing hard behind, and in Cabopino Golf we well know it.
We have already seen a lot of talent in our academy and we would be very proud to one day write about one of you. If you want to get there, you can continue practicing with us at our Golf Academy.
See you on the golf course!