The presentations of golf tournaments, such as the one held on Tuesday, September 28 at the Real Club Valderrama to announce the latest news of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, usually offer a balanced mix of hopes, illusions and good news. In this case, the optimistic expectations are accompanied by strong realities: the tournament doubles its prize purse with respect to the difficult 2020 and reaches three million euros, opens its doors to the public with almost unlimited seating and has the presence of the world number one, Jon Rahm, European stronghold in the recently held Ryder Cup and main attraction for this European Tour tournament to be played from 14 to 17 October and whose main sponsors are Estrella Damm and Andalusia.
The representatives of the institutions and organizations gathered at the Real Club Valderrama, headed by Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, made clear the importance of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, a tournament that has been declared an event of exceptional public interest by the Government of Spain, to recover spaces of normality, without underestimating, far from it, its nature of economic, tourist and sporting engine for San Roque, Andalusia and Spain.
In his speech, Simon Alliss, director of the tournament and representative of the European Tour at the event, referred to the character of the championship as a beacon in the recovery of the longed-for normality after a complicated period.
“We have lived through 18 very difficult months, but I am convinced that we have overcome the worst and that the future looks bright. We have left behind 18 months of tournaments behind closed doors, travel restrictions and closed borders to fight against this terrible virus, but we return to the wonderful Real Club Valderrama, which is in spectacular condition and looking forward to seeing its fairways full of fans again, to hear the roar of the public and to welcome Jon Rahm, world number one, to Andalusia”, recapitulated Alliss.
Pablo Mansilla, president of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, wanted to emphasize the importance of major events to complement the work of dissemination and promotion carried out by the federations, as they serve to bring golf to a much wider audience in an attractive and effective way.
“The big events are the best way to promote golf. It is very important that we are seen abroad, but also here, there are still many people who do not know this sport,” said the president of the RFGA. “In Andalusia we have 48,000 licensed players. In the last two years with the pandemic we have grown by about 3,000 more players, but we want to continue making golf known and for that we need tournaments like the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters”.
“The tournament is also very important for our champions to see the best players in the world up close, to believe that they can be like Jon Rahm because they can be like him. The champions of Andalusia in the categories of children, fry and Benjamin will play the pro-am and we have more than 6,000 children’s licenses that are the future of Andalusian golf,” Mansilla finished.
Ángel Gavino Criado, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Sports of San Roque, emphasized the importance of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters and the Real Club Valderrama in the daily reality of a municipality that has seven clubs throughout its geography and is a Spanish and world reference in its relationship with golf.
“The Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters is an extraordinary way to bring the name of San Roque to thousands of homes. What better way to leave behind all this period of restrictions than to come and enjoy the world number 1 and many other champions. The fans are eager to return and for us the tournament is a way to extend the summer season which has been exceptional,” said the deputy mayor of San Roque.
For his part, Javier Reviriego, general manager of Real Club Valderrama, emphasized the sporting and organizational advantages of this new edition once the difficulties of the recent past have been overcome, the course’s commitment to the environment and the future prospects of the tournament thanks to the new relationship established between the PGA Tour and the European Tour, an alliance that could decisively open the doors of the tournament to the U.S. market.
“Last year we decided to go ahead in very difficult circumstances, which was possible thanks to the commitment and loyalty of the institutions and sponsors to the tournament. It is a great joy that the public is coming back to Valderrama, the ticket sales are going very well and we are sure that we are going to have a great atmosphere”, explained Reviriego.
“The field is going to be tough, demanding, but always fair. The main change in recent months has to do with our commitment to more sustainable maintenance. We have replaced grass areas with mulch to save water. We want to maintain the same level of the field, but in a more sustainable way in terms of the use of water, products, etc.”.
“We are following with great interest the conversations of the PGA Tour and the European circuit about the possibility of launching a world circuit. The best tournaments should be held in the best venues and we also have great institutional and private support, so we maintain our commitment for the tournament to continue growing. We are optimistic and we are fighting for Valderrama to host this possible world circuit,” said the general manager of the Real Club Valderrama.
Finally, and closing the event, Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, representative of the Junta de Andalucía, stressed the importance of golf for Andalusia in different areas, especially now that health parameters are improving significantly. This community, adding the seventh edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, has already hosted 63 European Tour events in its territory, to which must be added other professional tournaments of the Ladies European Tour, Challenge Tour or Alps Tour, and the future Solheim Cup to be held in 2023 at Finca Cortesín.
“Covid’s incidence data allow us to be very optimistic for autumn. The summer season has gone better than expected, so far we have received 20 million tourists and we expect five million more for the month of October. For the first time we have occupied the first national position as a tourist destination and all this thanks to the fact that we have been able to convey a message of safety”, explained the vice-counsellor.
“Andalusia has long since surpassed the sun and beach as a tourist attraction and golf is an essential part of our offer. We have 21% of the courses in Spain, a total of 104 courses, and there are new projects to increase this figure. Golf allows us to deseasonalize tourism, we receive an average of one million people a year just to play golf and we will continue to bet on this sector”, referred Cardenete.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, a European Tour tournament that will be crucial in the outcome of the Race to Dubai 2021, the order of merit of this circuit, will offer the public a great cast led by Jon Rahm, current world number one, first Spanish champion of the U.S. Open and star of the European team of the Ryder Cup recently held in Whistling Straits, where he achieved the highest score (3.5 points in five matches) of the continental team.
Tickets are now on sale to enjoy Jon Rahm and the rest of the players who will attend this year’s edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, and the flexibility
of the offer allows you to choose between individual access for each day, four-day passes or weekend passes, with preferential rates for children under 14 years, federated or people with reduced mobility.
Tickets can be purchased from the Tickets menu on the tournament website, at edamgolf.es or at Fever.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, a European Tour tournament valid for the Race to Dubai and held thanks to the essential collaboration of the Real Club Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Regeneración, Justicia y Administración Local de la Junta de Andalucía, as well as being co-financed with European funds and having been declared an event of exceptional public interest by the Government of Spain. The tournament is also supported by the Diputación de Cádiz, Exterior Plus, Rolex and Santander Private Banking. Callaway, Cinco Jotas, Enterprise, Gadira, Grupo Raga, Kyocera, La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Marca, the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.
Photo: From left to right, Ángel Gavino, Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, Javier Reviriego and Pablo Mansilla.
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