The penultimate event of the DP World Tour Back 9 will start this Thursday. The Real Club de Golf Sotogrande will host the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters for the second time. The field of 126 includes 18 DP World Tour winners of this season. There are 5000 Race to Dubai points on offer, with 835 earmarked for the champion. 

The Race to Dubai ranking points are crucial for a playoff spot. The DP World Tour playoffs will begin with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in Dubai. Also of note is the 1500 Ryder Cup points on offer, which has drawn Jon Rahm back to Spain once again. 

The two-time major winner will tee off at 9:35 AM local time (3:35 AM ET). Jon Rahm has been paired with Rasmus Hojgaard and compatriot Angel Hidalgo, who bested Rahm in the Open de Espana playoff. Here are the tee times and pairings for the first round of the Andalucia Masters.

Rahm will be one of the ten Ryder Cuppers in the field. The Spanish International is returning to the Andalucia Masters for the first time since 2021 when it was hosted at the Real Club Valderrama. Ahead of the tournament, Rahm remains hopeful that he will close out his DP World Tour season and perhaps wrap his year up with a victory. 

Jon Rahm has two reasons to hunt for home glory

Rahm is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the DP World Tour. The two-time major champion has filed a lawsuit against the fine imposed by his erstwhile employer. Meanwhile, the Spanish international is teeing up at the counting events to solidify his Ryder Cup spot. DP World Tour requires players to tee off in four counting events to keep their card. 

Jon Rahm has already played in the Open de Espana and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. In addition, the Olympics is also considered a DP World Tour-counting event. So Andalucia Masters will complete his quota for the Tour card. Now, even if the Spaniard misses out on the automatic qualifier for the 2025 Ryder Cup, he will be on captain Luke Donald’s radar. 

Besides the obvious, Jon Rahm wants to undo the mistake of his national open. The 10-time DP World Tour winner lost to Angel Hidalgo in a playoff; his march towards a record-breaking fourth Open de Espana triumph was stopped. 

The desire to win in front of a home crowd is still strong, however. “It’s always a different feeling being back in Spain. I think my emotions can be heightened when playing in front of the Spanish crowds,” the 31-year-old said before the Andalucia Masters. His LIV Golf teammate, Tyrrell Hatton, won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Rahm would surely love to replicate that in Spain.