Second in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2018, fifth in 2012, seventh in 2013… and two spectacular consecutive triumphs, in 2016 and 2017, by Azahara Muñoz from Malaga. Such has been the intense relationship of Spanish golfers with the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino, which this time brings together fourteen representatives of our country in pursuit of the title at stake in this important tournament integrated into the Ladies European Tour.
The large group of Spaniards present at the Aloha Golf course in Malaga – with special mention for the aforementioned Azahara Muñoz and for María Parra from Cadiz and Noemí Jiménez and Laura Cabanillas from Malaga, prestigious Andalusian references in the competition – requests the maximum prominence in a tournament that is expected to be exciting given the high quality of its foreign participants, with the Dutch Anne Van Dam, world golf star and defending champion, in the front line.
Headed by Azahara Muñoz, whose natural habitat is the American Tour, the number of Spanish players rises to fourteen, some of whom have achieved brilliant results in various Professional Tours throughout this year.
This is the case of the Balearic Nuria Iturrios, who arrives in Malaga with the brand new LPGA 2020 card recently obtained under her arm, the culmination of a spectacular season that includes three victories in the Lalla Meryem Cup, the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic and the Zimmer Biomet Champonship, the latter tournament of the North American Symetra Tour.
María Parra – the best in the IOA Invitational – and Marta Sanz from Madrid, first classified in the IOA Golf Classic, both competitions of the Symetra Tour, have also won trophies in 2019.
Spanish attention is also focused on Beatriz Recari from Navarre, another of the great attractions of the tournament, with a decade of experience in the LPGA, where she went after winning in Europe at the Finnair Masters in 2009, a triumph ratified by four more in the USA -CVS Pharmacy 2010, Kia Classic 2013, Marathon Classic 2013, International Crown 2014- and, above all, by the Solheim Cup that she helped win in 2013.
Apart from them, the list of Spanish players includes a large number of golfers who are consolidating their steps in the professional field, such as Noemí Jiménez, Luna Sobrón, Carmen Alonso, Fátima Fernández, María Hernández, Harang Lee, Patricia Sanz and Elia Folch, always a fighter in any tournament, as is the case of this Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino.
AROUND THE OPEN
Beatriz Recari: “Having your people supporting you and all their love makes me really want to play”.
“Aloha Golf seems to me to be a great course, very strategic, you have to position the ball very well because you can get stuck on the next shot and the greens are incredibly undulating. A very interesting course” (…)
“The Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open was my first tournament since the break and I left with a very good feeling. Now I just have to keep consolidating that momentum before the LPGA starts at the end of January” (…)
“I feel very good, I’m coming from a month and a half in Florida. Playing the Spanish Open is very special for me because it’s been 10 years since I last played it. Having your people supporting you, having my father by my side and all the affection makes me really want to play”.
Luna Sobrón: “I have never played in Aloha and what better tournament than this one to do it”.
“The truth is that it is my first time here, I have never played in Aloha and what better tournament to do it. I’m looking forward to playing and I hope to do my best” (…)
“It is a very busy course, the greens play a big role and it is key to be in the safe areas because you can have very complicated putts” (…).
“I’m still doing the same thing I’ve been doing for many years, it’s been years of learning, I’m happy and I’ll keep going. My next goal is to be at the top of the American Tour, go step by step and see what happens.”
Free admission
Admission to attend the four days of competition -from November 28th to December 1st- of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino is free of charge.
Great Spanish results that generate confidence
Recall that, apart from the triumphs of Azahara Muñoz in 2016 and 2017, six Spaniards came close to victory in the Open de España by finishing second. It was the case of Raquel Carriedo in 2002; Ana Belén Sánchez in 2003; Tania Elósegui and Emma Cabrera tied for second place in 2009; again, Tania Elósegui in 2011; Carlota Ciganda in 2014 and, finally, the aforementioned Azahara Muñoz in the 2018 edition.
Extensive television coverage of the tournament
The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino will have extensive television coverage with three hours of live coverage plus a 30-minute summary each day of competition. This last section will be extended to a one-hour daily summary during the weekend. Teledeporte, Andalucía TV, TV3, Movistar Golf and LaLigaSports will be the channels that will broadcast the event in Spain, while outside our borders the broadcast will reach, through Sky and other major television channels, a potential market of 300 million homes.
ANDALUCÍA COSTA DEL SOL WOMEN’S SPANISH OPEN 2019 PROGRAM
Wednesday, November 27th
Pro-Am with 3 amateurs and 1 professional on each team
Departures from tees 1 and 10, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.
Lunch and awards ceremony at the Aloha Golf Club restaurant.
1:30 p.m.: Press conference with Azahara Muñoz and Suzann Pettersen.
16:00: Longest drive contest at the Aloha Golf Club terrace.
Thursday, November 28th
First day of competition with 96 players.
Departures from 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. and from 12:25 to 1:35 p.m. on tee 1 and tee 10.
Friday, November 29th
Second day of competition with 96 players.
Departures from 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. and from 12:25 to 1:35 p.m. on tee 1 and tee 10.
Cut in 60th place and tied
Saturday, November 30
Third day of competition starting at 9:00 a.m.
The game will end at approximately 3:00 pm.
10:00 a.m.: Clinic for juniors and ladies at Aloha Golf Club
Sunday, December 1st
Fourth and last day of competition.
10:00 a.m.: Clinic for juniors and ladies at Aloha Golf Club
17:00 hours approximately: Awards ceremony at Aloha Golf Club.
Essential support for the holding of the tournament
The support of the Ministry of Tourism of the Junta de Andalucía and the co-financing of FEDER funds, Turismo Costa del Sol and Acosol – Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental is part of a sports and tourism promotion effort, aware of the attraction of golf among national and foreign tourists, who find in this sport another incentive when choosing this Spanish region as a destination.
This important competition also has the support of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, Aloha Golf Club, Consejo Superior de Deportes and Ladies European Tour. The organization is in charge of the company Deporte & Business.
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