Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, one of the people who has done most for Spanish golf and especially for Andalusian golf in recent decades, especially for the achievement for Spain of the historic 1997 Ryder Cup, died at the age of 82. With him disappears an unrepeatable figure.
The driving force behind Valderrama, one of the best golf courses in the world, and a leading promoter of golf in Spain thanks to the celebration, for years, of the renowned Volvo Masters, died on January 3 in a hospital on the Costa del Sol.
Born in Paris on June 20, 1930, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño also contributed decisively to the first Ryder Cup that took place outside the United Kingdom in Valderrama, in 1997, as well as the American Express World Championships with the presence of the best professional golfers, both events were a huge success and placed Spanish and Andalusian golf as a reference worldwide.
Son of Bolivians, great-grandson of Spaniards and grandson of Simón Patiño, who was known as the king of tin in Bolivia and ambassador of that country in the capital of France, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño was an outstanding businessman who, in the field of golf, when he was 55 years old, bought 50% of the then Las Aves Golf Course to transform it into the current Valderrama.
A few years later he completed the operation by acquiring the entire golf club with the intention of transforming it into the best golf course in the world. To do so, he had the help of the prestigious designer Robert Trent Jones and the enthusiasm of the inhabitants of the village of Guadiaro, who were willing to work very hard to improve their standard of living. In recognition of this work, Jaime Ortiz-Patiño has supported the La Cañada public course since its creation, located a short distance from Valderrama and a true breeding ground for great golfers.
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño was named Honorary Vice President of the European Tour in May 2010, during the celebration of the BMW PGA in Wentworth. He received the distinction from George O’Grady, Chief Executive Officer, with Ángel Gallardo and José María Olazábal as witnesses.
VISION AND COMMITMENT
It was Patiño’s vision and determination that made it possible for the Ryder Cup to be played for the first time on continental European soil, not on the islands, in the historic 1997 edition, in which the European team, captained by Seve Ballesteros, defeated the United States by one point and thus maintained the title of the Samuel Ryder Trophy.
That event was the historic culmination of a journey that began in 1956 and later saw Patiño begin to forge what would later become one of the best courses in the world, designed by Robert Trent Jones, and home to the most prestigious tournaments on the European Tour and the world calendar. Valderrama hosted, apart from the Ryder Cup, the event that closed the season of the Tour, the Volvo Masters, with the dispute of 16 editions between 1988 and 2008, and two American Express World Championships in 1999 and 2000, won by Tiger Woods and Mike Weir, respectively.
His passion for golf surely started in a chain of events that began more than half a century ago at the 1956 Italian Open. It was there that Patiño offered his services as caddie to Dai Rees, who needed a new caddie for the final round. Instead of paying Patiño in cash, Rees told him, “I’m the captain of next year’s Ryder Cup, so I’m going to send you a couple of tickets as payment for your caddie services.”
And so began Patiño’s journey. He moved to Lindrick in Yorkshire the following year and was subjugated by the event. “I saw a historic tournament because it was the first American defeat after the World War. The Ryder Cup has always been my favorite tournament because of the tension it creates; even I could feel the pressure on the two captains.”
It was a few years later, in the early 1980s, when Ortiz-Patiño began to relax a little in his role as a businessman and had more leisure time at his home in Sotogrande when he envisioned the plan that would later make Valderrama one of the best golf courses in the world.
With an increasing number of members and overcrowding problems at their home club in Sotogrande, Ortiz-Patiño and seven partners bought the neighboring Los Aves course (later renamed Valderrama), also designed by Robert Trent Jones.
Initially, the group of friends bought the club so they could have a private place to play, but it wasn’t long before Ortiz-Patiño was devising a plan to have the Ryder Cup played on mainland European soil for the first time in history.
After buying back his shares from his investment partners, Ortiz-Patiño hired Robert Trent Jones to return and, without economic restrictions, finish what he had begun years earlier. The great American architect knew how to combine his mastery with the wishes of his employer and sculpted the masterpiece that Valderrama is today. Although Jones worked his magic in this field, Ortiz-Patiño went to the United States to study agronomy with the best experts in the field with the goal of becoming responsible for the maintenance of Valderrama himself.
It wasn’t long before the European Tour came to Valderrama, and when its officials did, they recognized the impressive quality of the venue and immediately agreed that it was the best place to host the Volvo Masters.
In 1991, Ortiz-Patiño was asked if he would consider bidding his course for the Ryder Cup. At first, he thought the infrastructure (roads, hotels, parking, facilities, etc.) was not good enough to host the world’s premier team golf event, but he soon changed his mind after traveling to the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island.
“It was there that I realized we could do it at Valderrama,” said the then president of the Cadiz club. “Spectators had to travel a certain distance to get to Kiawah and I thought if they did it in the United States then they could travel from Marbella, where there were so many hotels, to Valderrama. I launched my bid for 1997 and it was accepted: it was a very proud moment.”
REACTIONS
JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL, captain of the 2012 Ryder Cup European team: “He was a man of strong character who did not hesitate when he wanted to do something, and he put all his energy and determination into achieving what he set out to do.
“He has left us a great legacy, Valderrama, his work of art. He set out to make Las Aves (that was the name of the course before 1985) a special place, a unique place, and he succeeded, boy did he succeed! The Volvo Masters was played there for 16 years and placed Valderrama on the golf map. That tournament and that course were decisive in the development of the European Tour. It also made Andalusia known as a first class golf destination.
“We had many conversations and he was always interested in the future of the Tour, he had a very broad vision and very clear things. Through the tournaments played at Valderrama, he was determined to give a good image of golf, he wanted to popularize it and show the world that golf is a sport that is worthwhile and has values.
“I remember how excited he was in the early Volvo Masters. He liked to control everything and sometimes he was a bit drastic! He would get up at 4:30 in the morning, at night, and go to the course to work with his maintenance team, he would even take the machine and cut greens. He had a marked and very special character, not just anyone can do that.
“During the 97 Ryder Cup he was very close to the team, he talked a lot with Seve, he didn’t want there to be any mistakes and he controlled everything, everything except one thing he couldn’t control: the weather. He didn’t want there to be any mistakes and he controlled everything, everything except one thing that was out of his control: the weather. How it rained! It poured. It fell in Valderrama what had not fallen in Andalusia in 40 years. We are very sorry for him. He did everything in his power without sparing any effort, he checked and was on top of the smallest detail so that the Ryder Cup would be perfect and he had the course in perfect condition.
“I believe that Spanish and European golf owe a lot to Jaime, they will always be indebted to him. The tournaments that have been played at Valderrama have been the ultimate representation of good work, they have been synonymous with quality and excellence. We are going to miss him a lot”.
SERGIO GARCÍA, last winner at Valderrama, in the 2011 Andalucía Masters: “It is a very sad day, not only for Spain but for the whole golf world. Jaime Ortiz-Patiño was a great man; he created something very special, a masterpiece that will remain forever.
“Winning at Valderrama was not just another tournament, for me it had a greater meaning: it was the first Spanish player to triumph on his home course, on the course to which he had dedicated himself body and soul and loved so much. It was a very special victory, in a very special place, which I will treasure. All my love and support for his sons, Felipe and Carlos; they are a family with whom I have always maintained a close relationship and I am very fond of them”.
ÁLVARO QUIROS, European Tour player: “It is clear that Jaime Ortiz-Patiño revolutionized this area; the whole world got to know it through the great tournaments that have been played in Valderrama and were seen on television, that served to attract many people, a good tourism that has generated wealth and welfare.
“As a child who has grown up in Guadiaro and has been formed as a golfer in La Cañada, I am very grateful to him; this course was born and has been sustained thanks to him who provided machinery, tools, material… and helped in everything that was necessary. Every year he organized the “championship of chocolates” for the best children of La Cañada, just the fact of participating was in itself a great prize, he invited about 30 children to play the Par 3 of Valderrama and gave them a box of chocolates. I started playing golf late and could only participate once.
“Thanks to Jaime Ortiz-Patiño I can train at Valderrama and I feel at home there. Carlos Espinosa, the caddie master, who is also from Guadiaro, told Jaime one day: “There is a very good boy in La Cañada who is going to make it to the European Tour and he doesn’t have many resources, it would be nice if you let him train here”. He also recommended Emma Villacieros to me. I was summoned to Valderrama, he interviewed me himself and… until today. “Whenever he saw me on the driving range he would always come up to me to say hello, or I would come in to say hello to him in his office, and we treated each other with a lot of respect. Ever since I started participating in the Masters he would advise me: ‘Álvaro, you have to play the short holes at Valderrama a lot to get the speed of the greens at Augusta’.
GEORGE O’GRADY, CEO of the European Tour: “Jaime Ortiz-Patiño has provided proud moments for the European Tour; he was the one who, in a way, changed the course of golf in Europe.
“His vision and dedication to the sport of golf through the Volvo Masters and, of course, the Ryder Cup, has been second to none as has the excellence in terms of course preparation. He set the bar very high, no one had ever seen a course in the condition that he presented Valderrama. He was a gentleman and he will be greatly missed”.
ANGEL GALLARDO, Vice President of the European Tour: “We spent many good times together, the best were during the preparation of the Ryder Cup in 1997. Every day he arrived at the meetings at 6 or 6.30 in the morning! One day I tried to get there before him and there he was waiting for me”.
“One night when we were having a drink, after an exhausting day, he kept telling me: “Angel, we have to do this, that… We have to change this, that…”. I replied: “It’s the Ryder Cup, we have a great team and the only thing we need is for you to let us work”; he looked at me and replied: “It’s true, you are right. I am becoming a dictator and we don’t need any other dictatorship”.
“The last time I saw him was in November, he came to dinner at my apartment in Crans-sur-Sierre. He brought a very good wine and we had ‘Fondue Bourstaff’ for dinner. It was a very pleasant evening.”
“I think Jaime has not only done a lot for Spanish golf but also for European golf; he has been the “soul” of golf in Europe. We named him Honorary Vice President of the European Tour, a well-deserved recognition for a great man”.
MEL PYATT, founder of the Volvo Masters, worked side by side with Jaime Ortiz-Patiño for 16 years: “Today is a sad day; I am very sorry for the loss of my friend Jimmy. In 1987 we shook hands and started working on the organization of the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. It was a gentlemen’s agreement, there was no need to sign a contract.
“We maintained a close personal and business relationship, respecting each other; we shared the same values and were convinced that we could deliver the best professional golf tournament in Europe. The Volvo Masters and Valderrama set the highest standards in quality, being recognized and followed by all. This would not have been possible without Jimmy’s passion and perfection. He will be missed by the golf world.
NUNO DE BRITO E CUNHA, President of Valderrama Golf Club: “We believe it is important to remember “Jimmy’s” great legacy and contribution to the world of golf. He worked tirelessly to ensure that Valderrama hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup, sixteen editions of the Volvo Masters and the AMEX World Championships. We all know that the Ryder Cup would never have left the British Isles had it not been for his perseverance and vision”.
“Spanish golf should be deeply grateful for his work and for the courage he had to turn Valderrama Golf Club into a world reference. The promotion received by Sotogrande, San Roque, Andalusia and Spain is priceless and we are all very grateful for it.”
“The work of Mr. Jaime will endure in time, the historic moments lived in the tournaments held at Valderrama will never be forgotten and will remain forever in the memory of golf fans. May he rest in peace”.
“WE HAVE GONE SOMETHING FROM OUR LAND”, Ángel de la Riva
“We are not yet aware of the enormous loss suffered with the passing of Don Jaime Ortiz Patiño…. An excellent gentleman, in all the extension of the word, dedicated body and soul to his excessive and altruistic passion, to our beloved sport, golf. He worked for him all his life, as a player, as a manager, as a worker, because he had no time to dedicate to it, he would go at dawn or at night, with the team of workers to supervise and monitor the work so that everything would be perfect.
Thus, he got the wonderful club and course of Valderrama, today thanks to him, his commitment, his sacrifice and work; just by hearing that name, in North America and around the world, it is known that this wonder is in San Roque, Cadiz, Andalusia and therefore in Spain.
What this gentleman has done for our golf is of a category, of a magnitude and of unimaginable proportions. Before he arrived, of course, many other illustrious characters, contributed and helped Andalusian golf a lot, but…the bell…was given by Don Jaime bringing the Ryder Cup to the Costa del Golf, which is soon said! to his beloved course, admired since then by thousands and thousands of players who came to tread the same grass that before did world stars of the sport, to play their difficult greens, bunkers…, in short to say “I played in Valderrama”. And all this… Thanks to whom?
To whom with all our pain and infinite gratitude today we say goodbye from this world, but not from our hearts, because nobody dies at all as long as he is remembered… and Don Jaime will never die… he will live on, walking through our fields that he loved so much, Sotogrande the one he knew first, Valderrama his masterpiece and La Cañada, the apple of his eye, I know it.
May God bless you, and wherever you are, may you see us remember you and love you always… always, many of us will continue to do so.
Alucinio, I know how you feel, with the immense pain of having lost a person very dear to you, with whom you have lived for more than forty years, especially the last few.
Thank you, Jaime, for all that you have left us after your departure! Many things remain in the inkwell…, others in my soul”.
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