The victories achieved by Jon Rahm throughout his still short career have provided an enormous boost to promote the practice of golf in the Basque Country. The trophies harvested by Barrika’s genius translate into greater social interest in an activity that not so many years ago moved in small circles. If Severiano Ballesteros discovered a sport that was almost unknown to the general public in the 1970s and 1980s, the successes of the current world number one, winner of the 2021 Usa Open and the 2023 Augusta Masters have revitalized him after a time in which he the number of practitioners stagnated.
The ‘Rahm effect’ is felt in this modality in a very positive way, as confirmed by the president of the Basque Golf Federation, Vicente Sainz Areitioaurten. His influence on the increase in the fans and federation licenses is being “spectacular”, says Sainz Areitioaurten proudly. «We have spent a couple of years with a significant increase in fans who want to play golf. Jon Rahm’s stellar appearance in Basque golf is fundamental. There are more tournaments, people participate more, there are more licences.”
“When Rahm began to win tournaments, it was noticed that licenses were no longer lost.” And as the one from Barrika raised his prominence in world golf, more people took to the golf courses. The data confirms this. Currently, 18,000 Basques have a federation card. In 2019, a few months before the pandemic, the number was 17,000. In Spain, there are around 300,000 licences.
«Since Sunday there has been a lot of talk about Jon, about golf. There are people who ask what you have to do to play golf. It is a motivation for girls and boys »
But it is not only Rahm’s triumphs that are driving the growth in the number of practitioners, but the involvement of the number one himself in projects whose objective is to expand this sport is of enormous importance.
Rahm’s first win on the pro circuit came in 2017 at Farmers Insurance in Torrey Pines. Since then, the influence of the Biscayan in developing the goal has been “very important, it has been an explosion.” Areitioaurtena highlights that the winner of the US Open in 2021 “is involved” in promoting golf in the Basque Country through the foundation that bears his name, “with clinics and exhibitions for kids that he has carried out himself in Meaztegi. The Rahm effect is a highway for golf. In proportion to our population, in licenses we are in the upper part at the national level with Madrid and Andalusia.
“An incentive”
The rise of golf in Euskadi had its maximum exponent last year with the dispute of the I Open Bizkaia for professionals in the Meaztegi de La Arboleda course. Precisely, the manager of these public facilities, Carlos Roca, assures that Rahm’s historic victory in Augusta will trigger the interest in golf. «Since Sunday they have been talking about Jon, they are talking about golf. There are people who ask what you have to do to play golf. It is an encouragement, a motivation for girls and boys. I think he is a role model, a reference ».
Roca recalls that Rahm is right now “the most famous Biscayan in the world. Millions and millions of viewers have seen him win in Augusta. Selfishly, he wanted that victory because it will benefit our Open Bizkaia and golf in the territory. Jon is still very young, but our dream has come true.”
2023-04-11 22:21:13
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