Alberto Rubio Daza, Alejandro Carrere Lovera, José Ugía González, José Félix García España and Maximiliaan Werswyver were the well-deserving and fortunate prize-winners of trips to the Mexican Caribbean thanks to their brilliant performances in the grand finale of the 11th Andalucía Golf Challenge-Destination PGA Riviera Maya Bahía Príncipe Circuit, held at the magnificent  Marbella Club Golf Resort course.

These five excellent golfers (the scratch winner and top two finishers in both category one and two) will now be able to enjoy  week-long trips covering flights, transfers, all-inclusive five-star accommodation and golf at three of the finest courses in the Caribbean: PGA Riviera Maya, El Camaleón Mayakoba and Playa Paraiso.

Teeing up at this superb Costa del Sol course, managed by Rod Bastard, were a total of 80 players who had qualified directly or by a global ranking over the 23 tournaments that comprised the latest edition of this hugely popular tournament organised by Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine and held in several Spanish provinces, with a special focus on Andalucía, between March and September. Marbella Club Golf Resort is a course that is highly admired by players and extremely demanding, which was reflected in the results. Especially worth highlighting is the high level of play, with half of those taking part in the final having a handicap of under 10.

The annual Circuit came to an exciting conclusion, with a triple-tie in the scratch category (all on 35 points), which was won by José Ugía González as he had a higher handicap than Jonas Reffborn and Alejandro Carrere Lovera. Carrere Lover still won a trip to the Riviera Maya as winner of category one, together with second-placed Alberto Rubio Daza, who also totalled 35 points. 

In category two, Jose Félix García Spain and Maximiliaan Werswyver totalled 39 and 37 points, respectively, to complete the quintuplet of winners.

Jose Félix also won the special prize for closest to the pin, on the second hole: a fabulous laser meter from the Minimi brand, super-small in size (it fits into your pocket) and equipped with all the features of the top larger lasers.

(SEE PHOTO GALLERY AT THE END OF THIS REPORT)

As a grand finishing touch to the Circuit, a gala dinner was held in conjunction with the prize ceremony at the magnificent El Gamonal restaurant in Marbella, bringing together more than one hundred people. A mariachi trio gave a musical welcome to the diners, who tasted an exquisite meal served in one of the restaurant's gardens, with pleasant temperatures enabling the evening festivities to be enjoyed outdoors. 

Some of the players who were not previously familiar with the restaurant were pleasantly surprised by its quality and service. El Gamonal is located in the heart of Marbella’s Golf Valley, and offers golfers the perfect complement to an incomparable day of golf.

Among those attending the dinner was the Málaga provincial delegate of the Andalucian ministry of tourism, Nuria Rodríguez, who in her speech highlighted the importance of golf as a tourist resource in the region and also praised the role of Andalucía Golf/España Golf in helping to promote golf tourism over the past 34 years.

The trip to Riviera Maya is scheduled for 6 to 14 November. Two rounds will be played at PGA Riviera Maya, one at Mayakoba (after the conclusion of the Mayakoba Classic on the PGA Tour) and another at Playa Paraíso.

We appreciate the support of our sponsors: the hotel chain Bahía Príncipe (www.bahiaprincipe.com); the course that is our golfing base for the week, PGA Riviera Maya (www.pgarivieramaya.com), SANITAS (www.sanitas.es), Viviendo del Trading (www.viviendodeltrading.com) and Mijas Town Hall (www.mijas.es).

Also our collaborators: Holiday Golf, Holiday Golf Estates, Bodegas Laus D.O. Somontano, El Gamonal Restaurant, Fairway + Blue, Cadena SER and Marbella Town Hall.

 


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