Ryder Cup, World Cup, Volvo Masters, Match Play Championships, World Golf Championships, Spanish Open, Andalucía Masters, Seniors Match Play...  Nicklaus, Woods, Faldo, Langer, García, Jiménez, Montgomerie, Lyle, Woosnam, Harrington, Rose, Westwood and Poulter are just some of the stars who have triumphed in the 70 major professionals’ tournaments held in Andalucía since 1966.

Becoming one of the world’s premier golf tourism destinations cannot be attributed to chance, and neither is it only due to the area being blessed with an exceptional climate and a superb range of golf courses, many of an extraordinary quality. The global visibility and consolidation of a tourist destination of this kind also has a lot to do with its media image – even more so in recent years – and that is achieved mainly by attracting leading international golf stars to compete in prominent tournaments.

For nearly half a century Andalucía has been hosting prestigious tournaments for professionals, many of them attracting the best players in the world. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, José María Olazábal… the list is almost endless. Ryder Cup, Amex World Championships, World Cups, Volvo Masters, World Match Plays, Spanish Opens… official European and US PGA Tour events, European Senior and Challenge Tours… some of the world’s most spectacular golfing extravaganzas have been held in Andalucía.

The first major international tournament held in Andalucía was the 1966 Open de España, at one of the country’s finest courses, Royal Sotogrande Golf Club. Roberto de Vicenzo carded 279 to beat Englishman Bernard Hunt. The Argentinean was a prime star of that era, and one year later, aged 44, became the oldest player to win the British Open Championship, after an exciting battle against Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

That same legendary pair – the Golden Bear and the Black Knight – were involved in another duel on Andalucian soil a few years later, the 1973 World Cup at Las Brisas, a magnificent course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. The Marbella club had previously hosted the 1970 Spanish Open won by the current vice president of the European Tour, Ángel Gallardo, who beat Neil Coles for the title. In that same tournament, the leading amateur was the man who would later become one of Spain’s finest golf course designers, José Gancedo.

But returning to the World Cup… the American eventually triumphed, paired with Johnny Miller. The Americans beat Player and fellow South African Hugh Baiocchi by two shots (558-560), and the individual champion was Miller (277).

Six years would pass before Andalucía hosted another international professionals’ competition, once again the Spanish Open and this time at Torrequebrada in Benalmádena, a course designed by Gancedo. The tournament was part of the modern-day European Tour, launched the previous year with the Spanish Open at Pals (Gerona), and won by Antonio Garrido – who thus became the Tour’s first winner.

At Torrequebrada in 1979, with Spain having returned to democracy, Dale Hayes was victorious. He won €8,104 for his victory (or the equivalent at the time in pesetas) of a total prize fund of €48,593. This was a considerable increase on the previous year, when Garrido had won just €2,000 (in pesetas) of a total of €14,000.

Held in Andalucía on 10 occasions (the second highest number for a professionals’ event after the Volvo Masters – 21 editions), the Spanish Open returned to Las Brisas in 1983 and 1987. Ireland’s Eamonn Darcy won in 1983, beating Manuel Piñero by one shot, and Nick Faldo was victorious in 1987, finishing two shots ahead of Ballesteros and Baiocchi.

In 1988, with the launch of the Volvo Masters, Valderrama made its initial move into an international spotlight that would shine brightly on the course for decades. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., the course had been bought a few years before by Jaime Ortiz Patiño, a celebrated figure who was to make a massive contribution to the promotion of golf in Andalucía. The tournament was born with an ambitious format: it was the grand finale of the European Tour season and the field was limited to just 50 players – the leading players on the money list (or order of merit). The prizemoney was significant, sufficient to be decisive in determining the year’s number one – and it did on various occasions.

With these ingredients, the cocktail was an explosive one, and its success was a natural consequence: with thousands of spectators looking on at Valderrama, the formidable show ended with two of the greatest European golfers in history vying for the title: Faldo and Ballesteros. The Englishman eventually won with a total of 284, two fewer than his Spanish rival. They were the only two players to finish below par (four and two-under, respectively) at the daunting Valderrama course. Faldo collected a cheque for €123,662 of a total prize fund of €492,366. Third was another Grand Slam winner, Scotland’s Sandy Lyle, on even-par 288.

Thus was born a legendary event that didn’t crown a Spanish winner until its 11th edition in 1999 at Montecastillo (Jerez); in fact, the only Spanish winner in its 21-year history, Miguel Ángel Jiménez. This final year of the century was one of the best of Jimenez’s career: months after also winning the Turespaña Masters at the Parador Málaga del Golf, he lost a play-off on the first extra hole against Tiger Woods in the American Express World Golf Championship at Valderrama. He ended the year with 11 top-10 finishes, including those two wins and two runner-up finishes, and fourth on the order of merit with €1,148,290. His best performance in a major that year was 10th in the US PGA Championship.

Jiménez might have been the only Spaniard to win the Volvo Masters but other compatriots went extremely close, highlighted by Sergio García, who finished second in 2004, losing a play-off against Englishman Ian Poulter, and was runner-up again the following year, finishing two shots behind Ireland’s Paul McGinley. Even though it wasn’t in this tournament, the Castellón star finally broke through at Valderrama when he won the Andalucía Masters, beating Jiménez by one shot on the final hole. Another Spaniard who was on the verge of winning the Volvo Masters was Carlos Rodiles, who lost in sudden-death against Swede Fredrik Jacobsen in 2003 at Valderrama.

In the more than 70 European Tour events held in Andalucía, including the Qualifying School final, there have been only six Spanish victories so far: Gallardo, Jiménez (two), Rodiles (2006 Qualifying School at San Roque), Álvaro Quirós (2010 Spanish Open at Royal Sevilla Golf Club) and García. Runner-up finishes have been more prolific: 14 individual and one for teams, the 2004 World Cup at Royal Sevilla, won by England. Seve heads the list with three runner-up places: 1987 Spanish Open, and 1988 and 1994 Volvo Masters. García and Jiménez have two second-place finishes each (or three including the aforementioned World Cup, where they represented Spain), while the others (in addition to Piñero and Rodiles) include José María Olazábal, Miguel Ángel Martín, Ignacio Garrido, Alejandro Cañizares and Pablo Larrázabal.

In stark comparison with the overwhelming number of men’s events, only three Ladies European Tour (LET) tournaments have been held in Andalucía: the Marbella Ladies Open at Los Naranjos in 1988 (won by South African Laurette Maritz) and two Spanish Women’s Opens, at Flamingos in 2010 (where legendary international star Laura Davies was victorious) and La Quinta the following year (won by another Englishwoman, Melissa Reid), with Spain’s Tania Elósegui joint second.

The European Senior Tour has had more of a presence in Andalucía, with its epicentre once again on the Costa del Sol. The first host was Flamingos in 2002, for the Seniors Match Play (won by Jamaican Delroy Cambridge), while Carl Mason won in 2004 at the same resort (where Michelle Obama and one of her daughters stayed in 2010).

The Tour returned to Andalucía five years later, thanks to the support of Benahavís Town Hall, the municipality with the second highest number of courses on the Costa del Sol, after neighbouring Marbella. The Benahavís Senior Masters was held in 2009 at La Quinta, where Carl Mason secured the trophy in a play-off against Gordon Brand Jr. The event returned the next three years, with victories by Boonchu Ruangkit, Mason again and Gary Wolstenholme.

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