Staff WriterSam Bairstow closed out his opening round at the Open de España like a man possessed, rattling off four birdies in his final five holes to snatch a share of the lead alongside France’s Ugo Coussaud on Thursday.
The Englishman’s six-under-par 65 at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid was as tidy as it was tenacious, pulling him level with Coussaud at the summit and one clear of Marco Penge, Frederic Lacroix and Bernd Wiesberger, all lurking ominously on five under.
Coussaud had set the clubhouse target earlier in the day, patching over two bogeys with a pair of eagles and four birdies to post 65.
For a while it looked like the Frenchman’s name would stand alone at the top of the Open de España leaderboard, but Bairstow – playing in the final group of the day – had other ideas.
A Finishing Kick to Remember
Bairstow’s round was steady early on, turning in three under thanks to an eagle at the fourth and a birdie at the par-three ninth. A birdie at the 11th was bookended by bogeys, leaving him needing something special coming home.
He found it at the par-five 14th, where a routine two-putt birdie set the wheels in motion. A confident 17-foot conversion at 15 followed, and after a solid par on 16, he stiffed his tee shot to five feet at the par-three 17th. He walked that one in for birdie, then capped off his surge by rolling in a 12-footer at the short par-four 18th.
“I think coming in, the focus was on getting finished because of the dark so to finish with a few birdies there was great,” said Bairstow. “I love it here, I played here for the first time last year and I loved it so it’s just a good week – obviously the city’s good, course is good, the fans are good so yeah, I like coming back here.”
Coussaud in Control Early
Coussaud, meanwhile, was clinical in his approach. “It was a great day, many, many great shots close to the pin – especially on the two par-fives, and I made the two good putts – so just a great day,” he said.
“I had a few bad shots as well but I recovered quite nicely so I’m very happy with today. It’s a tricky course, I think you need to know it a little bit to play it properly.”
His round highlighted just how punishing – and rewarding – this Madrid layout can be. Club de Campo is not a course that hands out birdies for free, and anyone with designs on winning the Open de España will need both precision and patience.
Penge, Lacroix and Wiesberger in Hot Pursuit
Among the early starters, Marco Penge showed exactly why he’s third on the Race to Dubai standings this season. Fresh off victories at the Hainan Classic and Danish Golf Championship, the Englishman fired a composed 66 to keep himself right in the hunt for a third title of the year.
“It’s pretty challenging out there,” said Penge. “The wind’s not too strong, but it’s up, and it’s quite a tricky golf course. The greens are really small, so I felt like I managed my game pretty well. I hit some terrible shots and made some bad swings, but that’s golf.”
He’s joined on five under by Lacroix, also a winner in Denmark this season, and 2021 Ryder Cupper Bernd Wiesberger, whose experience on tough layouts could prove a real factor as the week wears on.
Home Hopes and Familiar Names
The leading Spanish challenger after day one is Ángel Ayora, who shares sixth place at four under alongside Grant Forrest, Alex Levy, Dan Bradbury and Aaron Cockerill.
With the Madrid galleries expected to grow as the Open de España heads into the weekend, Ayora’s name on the first page of the leaderboard is sure to give the home crowd plenty to cheer.
Bairstow and Coussaud may share the lead for now, but this is a field stacked with proven winners and rising stars.
If Thursday’s fireworks are anything to go by, the 2025 Open de España is shaping up to be a thriller.
