First it was the men and now the Ladies European Tour is set to return to one of the continent’s most renowned golfing battlegrounds. In April, Valderrama consolidated its legendary status by hosting the 90th edition of the venerable Spanish Open, in conjunction with the Sergio García Foundation. Now, another celebrated “Costa del Golf” club, Aloha, will be the venue for the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino from 22 to 25 September.
The tournament is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious women’s championships. It was first part of the Ladies European Tour schedule in 1982, when American Rosie Jones won at Las Aves (later to become Valderrama), while the most recent winner was South African Connie Chen at Golf Costa Adeje in Tenerife in 2014. The event was previously held on the Costa del Sol in 2010, with Laura Davies winning at Flamingos. Speaking on behalf of Tourism of Andalucía, the title sponsor of the championship, Francisco Javier Fernandez said, “We are delighted to welcome the Ladies European Tour to Europe’s leading golf destination.
A heaven for golfers, millions of visitors flock to Andalucía annually to experience the top-notch golf courses and white-sand beaches in year-round warm weather. This exciting tournament will bring together the world’s best golfers so that fans and participants may enjoy the great beauty of the sport in an incomparable setting.”
Added LET CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh, “On behalf of our players and staff, I would like to say how thrilled we are to be returning to the region of Andalucía, Europe’s top golf destination with close to 120 fantastic world-class courses. This will be one of the most prestigious championships on our calendar in 2016 and I would like to thank Andalucía, as well as the Real Federacion Española de Golf, for bringing the tournament back to our schedule. With golf returning to the Olympic Games in August, it is our hope that all of our players and fans will be able to celebrate together in September.”
Jaime Salaverri, president of the professional committee at the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, also welcomed the news. “On behalf of RFEGolf, we are truly excited about the return of the Open de España Femenino to the Ladies European Tour schedule, as we believe the championship will spur on future Spanish champions and give our existing winners the chance to demonstrate their impressive talents and skills. With perfect weather and golf courses, Andalucía is the ideal location to stage a tournament of this calibre.”
The full field of 126 players, competing for a prize fund of €300,000, is likely to include young Spanish rookie Nuria Itturios, who won the Lalla Meryem Cup LET event in Morocco in May.
