Less than six months to go before the inaugural shot is taken at the most famous and prestigious golf course in Spain and one of the best in the world. The event will take place from October 18 to 21 at the Real Club Valderrama, a tournament that is arousing unusual expectation thanks to the achievements of Spanish players and whose tickets are already available on the European Tour website (www.europeantour.com/tickets).
Thousands of fans gathered in Madrid to see Rahm succeed Sergio García, champion of the 2017 Andalucía Valderrama Masters, and become the second Spanish golfer to win back-to-back European Tour tournaments held in our country.
García put the icing on the cake of a sensational season by winning the Andalucía Valderrama Masters 2017 and adding the third title of the year -Augusta Masters, Omega Dubai Desert Classic-, in front of the thousands of fans who gathered at the famous San Roque course.
The Spaniard became the first Spaniard to win twice at Valderrama. The first was in 2011, also at the Andalucía Valderrama Masters, when he pulled one stroke ahead of Miguel Ángel Jiménez. In the inaugural edition of the tournament, in 2010, the winner was Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell. Thus, the list of champions of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters, which will celebrate its fourth edition this year, is composed exclusively of major winners (McDowell the US Open in 2019 and García the Masters in 2017).
The player from Borriol has always maintained a close relationship with the Cadiz course where last year, two days before lifting the trophy, he was named honorary member of the European Tour and also honorary member of the Real Club Valderrama.
“Winning at Valderrama was very special. The truth is that it was incredible to do it in Spain, on one of my favorite courses in front of so many fans, and above all, with my family,” recalls Garcia.
“It was a very nice week and I played well, but the most important thing was the attitude. There were moments that tested me and yet I knew how to react and was patient; I stayed confident making sure I wasn’t affected by bad shots. Valderrama is a demanding course that requires patience and you have to like it. And I love Valderrama.
“The atmosphere was incredible all week. Joost -who was at a very high level and didn’t give me any respite- and all the players, who made the public enjoy themselves a lot. On Sunday on the 17th hole I got goose bumps when I holed the putt and saw how the crowd went crazy.
“2017 was a great year for Spanish golf and for me; 2008 was also very good but the past impressive, probably, the best of my career.”
JAVIER REVIRIEGO, CLUB GENERAL MANAGER
“The field will be in even better condition than last year.”
The general manager of Real Club Valderrama, Javier Reviriego, talks in this interview about the upcoming Andalucía Valderrama Masters, the great event of the European Tour in Spain.
-Is there anything new in relation to this year’s tournament?
The main novelty is that some new sponsors will be incorporated, which we are in the process of closing, and I think this is good for the event, and we intend to have long-lasting relationships in the future so that we can make the tournament grow in the coming years. I think this is something relevant.
-Although it is still early, can you give us a preview of some of the players who will be participating in the tournament?
-Indeed, it is still very early, but Sergio will be there for sure and I hope that all the Spaniards will also be there, including Jon Rahm. The idea is to start announcing players possibly in September, when they already have their calendars more defined.
-Will the field present any variation with respect to last year?
-The main change is that we have already finished the investment plan we started five years ago. All the greens, greens and tees are new, so the players will find a course in even better condition than last year, and more uniform above all.
-Any changes in terms of logistics: village, parking lots…?
-In principle there will be no significant changes. The village area will be in the same place and probably this year we will have more activities, it will be bigger, there will be more interaction with the public, and we will probably also have some surprises on the 17th.
-What are your expectations in terms of number of spectators?
-Last year went very well, more than 40,000 spectators, and I hope that this year will be similar or better. You know that we depend a lot on the weather, but if we get close to last year’s numbers we will be very happy.
-According to its owner, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Andalusian Regional Government, the main sponsor of the tournament, is very satisfied with the results of the previous edition, both in terms of sport and tourism promotion of the destination. Is the Real Club Valderrama also satisfied?
-The Junta de Andalucía is very happy with the result and so are we, but we are nonconformists and our goal is really for the tournament to keep growing and improving, and the Junta is aligned with us in this regard and we are working with them very well to make the event better every year.
-Is the horizon of being part of the Rolex Series (tournaments with a minimum of seven million euros in prize money) still far away?
-That horizon is always there and that is what we are focusing on. Of course, we are not going to deny the difficulties, sports sponsorship is not easy nowadays, but we are very clear that this is our future.
At the end of the interview, the general manager of R.C. Valderrama launches a message: “It is very important for the club that the tournament does not represent an economic burden for us; it is very important that it is sustainable over time”.
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