Following Jon Rahm’s victory in the 2018 Open de España in Madrid, the spotlight is now focused on southern Spain for the Andalucía Valderrama Masters – the second European Tour event being held in the country this year.
Spain’s most famous club internationally, Royal Valderrama, will be hosting the fourth edition of the tournament (Graeme McDowell won in 2010 and Sergio García in 2011 and 2017) from 18 to 21 October, and tickets are already on sale for fans wanting to take advantage of “early bird” discounts (www.europeantour.com/tickets).
Fans gathered in their thousands in Madrid in April to see Rahm become the second successive Spanish player to win a European Tour event on home soil, after Sergio García’s victory at the 2017 Andalucía Valderrama Masters.
García delighted Spanish fans with an emotional victory in Sotogrande last year, as he sealed his third win of the season to add to his maiden major title, the Masters, as well as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic trophy.
He thus continued his love affair with the venue – where he became the first Spaniard to win a European Tour stroke play event in 2011 – at the end of a week in which he was also awarded honorary life membership of both the European Tour and Royal Valderrama Club.
“Winning in Valderrama was very special. It’s difficult to describe what it meant to win at home, at one of my favourite golf courses and in front of my family and the Spanish fans,” said Garcia, speaking after his victory in 2017.
“It was a great week; I was happy with my game and particularly with my attitude. I kept patient and made sure that the bad shots didn’t affect me too much. To win in Valderrama you have to be very patient; you have to love the place. And I love Valderrama.
“The spectators were unbelievable all week; many came out and enjoyed it not only because I won, but because they saw some great golf thanks to Joost Luiten and all the players – 2017 was an amazing year both for me and for Spanish golf. As for me, it was probably the best year in my career.”
Early bird tickets for the 2018 Andalucía Valderrama Masters are €8 for the Pro-Am on Wednesday 17 October; €12 on Thursday and Friday of the tournament; and €20 on Saturday and Sunday. Children aged under-14 are admitted to the event free of charge when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult (www.europeantour.com/tickets).
JAVIER REVIRIEGO: VALDERRAMA CLUB GENERAL MANAGER
In this interview with Andalucía Golf, Royal Valderrama Golf Club general manager Javier Reviriego talks about this year's Andalucía Valderrama Masters, a European Tour event launched in 2010, when Graeme McDowell was victorious, and whose two subsequent editions (in 2011 and 2017) were won by Sergio García.
Are there any new initiatives planned for the 2018 tournament?
The main initiative is that we will incorporate some new sponsors, which we are in the process of confirming. I believe this is good for the event, and our intention is for these to be lasting relationships well into the future and that we can further boost the tournament in the coming years. I think that's quite relevant and important.
Although it is still early days, can you advance any names of the players who will be teeing up in the tournament?
True, it is still very early, but Sergio is a certainty and I hope that all the Spaniards will also be here, including Jon Rahm. The idea is to start announcing players possibly in September, when they have their calendars more clearly defined.
Will the course feature any changes with respect to last year?
The main change is that we have already concluded an investment plan we initiated five years ago. All the greens, ante-greens and tees are new, so the players will find the course in even better condition than last year - and, above all else, more uniform.
Any other changes in terms of logistics, hospitality village, parking…?
In principle there will be no significant changes. The village will be in the same area and probably this year we will have more activities; it will be larger and there will be more interaction with the public, and maybe even a special surprise or two on the 17th. There will be some new initiatives, yes.
What expectations do you have when it comes to the number of spectators?
Well, last year was excellent, with more than 40,000 spectators, and I hope this year is similar or even better. We already know that it depends a lot on the weather, but if we come anywhere near the number last year we will be very happy.
The minister for tourism and sport in the Junta de Andalucía (regional government), the tournament's main title sponsor, says he is very satisfied with the results of the previous edition, both in a sporting sense and in terms of the destination's tourist promotion. Does Royal Valderrama feel the same way?
The Junta de Andalucía is very happy with the result and we are also, but at the same time we are not prepared to just leave it at that. Our key objective is for the tournament to continue to grow and improve, and the government is aligned with us in this regard. We are working very closely and effectively with them to ensure the event is even better year after year.
Is the prospect of being part of the Rolex Series (tournaments with a minimum of seven million euros in prizemoney) still a long way off?
That prospect is always present and that is what we are focusing on. Obviously, we can't deny the difficulties, the fact that sports sponsorship today is not a simple matter, but it is very clear for us that this will be part of our future.
At the end of the interview, Javier Reviriego says he wants to send a final message… "It is very important for the club that the tournament does not become an economic burden for us. It's very important for it to be sustainable and tenable over time. We don't want to live through the same situation we suffered in 2010, when the club lost more than one million euros as a result of the event."
