It might be the only European Tour event scheduled for Spain this year – but they don’t get much better. The Andalucía Valderrama Masters is right out of the top drawer of international golf tournaments, at the finest venue in continental Europe.
The tournament returns to the Tour from 19 to 22 October, after a six-year hiatus. Sergio García, who will be co-hosting the event through his foundation, won the title in 2011 after Graeme McDowell had been victorious in the inaugural tournament in 2010. Last year, Valderrama also hosted the Spanish Open, won by Andrew “Beef” Johnston. The latter is still pending sponsorship and has not yet been scheduled for 2017.
Details of the tournament were officially announced during a press conference at Valderrama presided over by the regional minister for tourism and sport, Francisco Javier Fernández, who said it was planned to extend the agreement for five years.
Legendary Club
Royal Valderrama Club’s pivotal year was undoubtedly 1997, when it hosted the first Ryder Cup ever held outside Britain and the United States. Previously Valderrama had been the venue for nine editions of the Volvo Masters, which returned to the Sotogrande club from 2002 to 2008, and had attracted widespread praise from the sport’s top players. It was recognised as the number one course in continental Europe, and for Andalucía has represented a global standard-bearer and a prestigious tourist resource.
Also the host of two American Express World Golf Championships (won by Tiger Woods in 1999 and Mike Weir in 2000), Valderrama was created by one of the world’s greatest golf course designers, Robert Trent Jones, who once observed, “I believe Valderrama is a classic championship course. It’s like Augusta… in a better state than any other course could possibly be.”
The Valderrama challenge is exclusively limited to club members and 36 visitors a day, but it is an irresistible temptation. In a worldwide survey, Golf Digest asked players to name the course where they would play for the rest of their lives. Augusta was first, Pebble Beach second and Valderrama third.
