Since the Open de España became part of the European Tour in 1972, there have been plenty of unsuccessful attempts to defend the title. The first came from Antonio Garrido and later came many more. Even Seve, who won it three times, never managed to do so consecutively.
The current defending champion, Jon Rahm, will have the best chance we have ever seen to achieve the feat. His five-shot lead over second place is the biggest he has ever taken into Sunday as a professional. Today Rahm could become the first player to win two Opens de España on the trot.
Before the tournament was incorporated into the European Tour, Ángel de la Torre (1916 and 1917), Arnaud Massy (1927 and 1928), Gabriel González (1932 and 1933), Marcelino Morcillo (1948 and 1949) and Max Faulkner (1952 and 1953) were all members of this exclusive club.