The countdown has now begun to the first of three European tour events on the Costa del Sol this year. The European Challenge Tour visits the Coast from 18 to 21 May with the new-format Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play 9 at La Cala Resort in Mijas municipality.
The event marks the return of match play to the tour schedule for the first time in 18 years. It will feature 36 holes of stroke play followed by a series of nine-hole match play battles during the weekend, as the Road to Oman’s top players compete for a €200,000 prize fund.
Competitors will tee it up on Campo Asia, one of three courses at the venue. Known for its narrow fairways and tricky layout, at 6,479 yards this short but testing course will provide a tough test for the Challenge Tour’s best.
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Match Play 9 is one of two Spanish events on the 2017 Road to Oman, together with the Challenge de España from 28 September to October 1 at a venue still to be confirmed.
Announcing the event, Challenge Tour director Alain de Soultrait said, “We want to pay our thanks again to the Andalucian institutions for their support of golf and to congratulate the Royal Andalucian Golf Federation for its initiative of creating a new event on the Challenge Tour. We must also thank the Royal Spanish Golf Federation for its continued support of the Challenge Tour and for its development of young Spanish professional players.”
The other two 2017 tournaments on the Costa del Sol are the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino at Guadalmina (Marbella) from 21 to 24 September and the Andalucía Valderrama Masters (hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation) from October 19 to 22.
