The success of Spanish golf: from Seve's "spanish balls" to the leap to American universities with Jon Rahm

• PGA Jon Rahm's "stressful" win in Mexico

With just five hours apart,

and

, two good friends separated by almost 10,000 kilometres, lifted two winners' trophies last weekend on the European Circuit (Catalonia Championship) and PGA (Mexico), respectively.

It is difficult to explain the secret of Spanish golf, an inexhaustible pool of figures.

It is the sixth victory in 2022. After the doubles of

on the Champions Tour (the American veterans circuit) and

on the DP World Tour (European Circuit), now come these two triumphs outlined on Sunday.

In total, our country has four players among the 70 best in the world.

And what is to come.

Without going any further, this week the amateur

will compete in Wells Fargo, a PGA Tour tournament for which he has received an invitation, and one of the greatest jewels of the quarry,

, 15 years old, swept the Madrid championship for under 18s. Add this title to its impressive list of winners with absolute national tournaments of the highest level such as the Puerta de Hierro Cup.

All American universities are after him.

Universities where others are already standing out: at Arizona Estate,

and

are also two references.

And, of course, there are several girls who also dazzle:

is already a star in her first year of university with Wake Forest and in Mississippi State they are amazing with

.

A point has come where American universities fight over Spanish talent, and representatives of federations from all over the world come to the National Golf Center, the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Federation, to analyze the model.

Modernization programs

The work of a structured system that begins in the clubs, continues in the territorial federations and ends with the RFEG's modernization programs is already bearing fruit, and Jon Rahm is precisely the best-known link in the chain, but at his side Alternatives begin to emerge like that of Adri Arnaus, about to enter the top 50 players in the world, Rahm's partner and rival in a thousand battles in

competitions throughout Spain and Europe.

However, there is a percentage of success that is due to the intangible.

They are the

, which the British would say in reference to the natural talent of many of our players.

More graphic would be the historic

: "The

cojones", he said on his day, remembering

,

and all that generation of golfers from the last century who already put the name of Spain around the world.

Something of this natural talent, of a Spanish nature, a legacy of Seve, is mixed with the federative gear.

Meanwhile, countries like France, with 30% more golfers, or Germany and England with more than twice as many, watch in amazement as our players lift trophies at one of the 400 golf courses in our country.

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• Jon Rahm