Born in Cascais and a leading amateur golfer back in Portugal, Nuno Alberto de Brito e Cunha, Viscount of Pereira Machado, is deeply familiar with the inner workings of Royal Valderrama Club, having become a member not long after it was purchased by founder Jaime Ortiz-Patiño. His love of golf was instilled in him by his father – also a top amateur – almost from the cradle. The young Nuno learned to play the game so well he became national Portuguese champion on more than one occasion and represented his country in the world and European championships.
One year away from completing his second term at the helm of Spain’s most famous club, he looks back on those seven years as president, and talks about the purchase of the course by club members, the Andalucía Valderrama Masters and his determination to once again bring one of the world’s premier tournaments to this iconic golf setting.
What are the main details of the purchase of Valderrama from La Zagaleta?
I’ll try to explain it as clearly as I can. Historically the club and its members have always had a preferential right to purchase the course if it were offered for sale. When the course was sold to Las Zagaleta, this right wasn’t respected. They argued that they had purchased the Swiss holding company that owned the course but we were not in agreement, because the main – almost only – asset of the holding company was the course itself. Faced with this situation, we decided to seek arbitration, as we disagreed with their interpretation of the situation. We had several months of hard work with our lawyers, and I believe that in the end the La Zagaleta owners saw that we had a certain rationale, and we reached an agreement to go ahead with the purchase at a reasonable price.
There is something that everyone would like to know: how much did members pay for the Valderrama course?
I believe the price was published in several media. What I can say categorically is that it is exactly the same amount as La Zagaleta paid.
What does this purchase mean for Royal Valderrama Club? Will anything change as far as the club’s operations are concerned?
Nothing is going to change. We have complete autonomy, and a private club policy. That was one of the reasons why we didn’t like the idea of having another owner of the course, because that owner automatically had other interests, which were mostly commercial. We are not a money-making machine; we are here to serve our members and our club. Other entities, who owned the club, were here to make money. And that’s something that went against the interests of our members. Now we all have the peace of mind of knowing that the course is ours and we don’t have to depend on another owner.
Another doubt that has been raised is if La Zagaleta can use the Valderrama name, for example, calling a future course Valderrama 2…
No, they can’t. They can call it whatever they want to, but not Valderrama 2, under no circumstances. That’s clear. We bought the course and various plots of land around the course, and we also bought the Valderrama Golf brand. The use of the Valderrama brand for any business related to golf is exclusively ours.
Can anything be built on these plots?
They can be built on but we have no intention to develop them. They are plots that serve as protection for the course, and some of them for extra space during the Andalucía Valderrama Masters.
How do you now see the future of Valderrama as a result of this new situation?
I see it in a very good light. In general, Spain has improved quite a lot and, even though it has its political problems, economically things have changed for the better – and the same in Europe. Our membership capacity is full, with 450, which is the maximum we accept here, and we have a waiting list that is quite extensive. We need that list here because every year we lose around six members – due to age, because they can’t play golf any more, etc. – and that’s why we should always have a reserve of people to cover these losses.
On another subject, the fact that Sergio García won the last edition of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters must be a matter of pride for the club. What is your evaluation of the tournament?
I believe that, even though it’s a fantastic tournament, in global terms when it comes to prizemoney it’s a modest tournament compared with the Rolex Series events, the U.S. PGA Tour, the World Golf Championships series, etc. However, we are fortunate to have an iconic course that also looks good on TV because visually it’s spectacular, and furthermore we have an honorary club member in Sergio, who also has been made an honorary member of the European Tour and Real Madrid (football club), and he provides immense support to the tournament. He cares a lot for the club and members, and is always saying, right around the world, that this is his favourite course.
Having Jon Rahm here, in his first event in Spain as a professional, was another successful aspect of the tournament…
I have rarely seen a 22-year-old golfer (since turned 23) with his maturity and charm. For me he is truly exceptional.
When will a Rolex Series event be held at Valderrama?
We are working towards having one in 2019. I’m not sure if it will be possible, but we are working towards that goal. The club has members who know many people in the business world, and Javier (Reviriego, general manager of Royal Valderrama Club), a group of members and myself are working very hard towards that end. We also have the support of very important people such as Sergio, as well as the Tour, with whom we fortunately have a very good relationship. Keith Pelley (executive director of the Tour) helps us a lot; he comes here when we ask him to visit, he loves Valderrama, and all of that helps.
Then there is another key factor for the tournament: the players like to come here. Due to the course’s history, they want to win at Valderrama; it’s something that embellishes their career records. And of course we have the essential support of the Junta de Andalucía (regional government), who are great friends of Valderrama.
I would love to have a Rolex Series event, or even a more important tournament.
Is it possible the club could host another World Golf Championship?
We had two here (American Express events in 1999 and 200, won by Tiger Woods and Mike Weir, respectively), and Europe hasn’t hosted any for the past 10 years. There are two in the United States, one in China and another in Mexico. In Mexico the owner of the country’s main TV channel has spent millions for the tournament to be held there.
How much money would it take to get one of those tournaments?
The budget for these tournaments is around $13 million to $14 million (each of this season’s events will share $10 million alone in prizemoney, with the winner pocketing $1,660,000). I think that Keith Pelley has done a fantastic job with the Rolex Series on the European Tour, which for me is the best-known brand in the world. Now, I don’t know if the leading European players have responded fully. That might have been because it was the first year of the Rolex Series. Let's see how it pans out, but in my opinion they have not had the full support of European players (the Valderrama president is specifically referring to leading players competing on the U.S. PGA Tour). They should never forget that they are Europeans and they started playing here. They are players who travel very conveniently these days – some have even a private jet – so the top players owe more to the European Tour. Sergio has more than fulfilled his responsibilities (six tournaments on the European Tour in 2017, not counting the majors and World Golf Championships, which are official for both the European and U.S. circuits), and Rahm as well (five tournaments in addition to the majors and WGCs), and we also must bear in mind that he (Rahm) started his pro career on the U.S. Tour, not the European. However, there are other players who started here and then triumphed in America and, in my opinion, are not doing the right thing by the European Tour.
What would be your overall assessment looking back on your seven years as president of Royal Valderrama Club?
When we arrived here (2011), the club was not in a good situation. We had serious financial problems and no major investments had been made since the Ryder Cup (1997). The facilities had deteriorated, the clubhouse had leaks, the golf course’s irrigation equipment was practically unusable, there were leaks and problems in the irrigation system... the members have made a great effort to put everything in order. We have invested more than €5 million on improvements and renovations that the course required, and that investment has been with money exclusively generated by the club and its members, from nobody else.
I must emphasise that, thanks to the work and skill of our general manager and a board of directors that has supported him unconditionally, we have achieved everything that you now see around us, and we will be able to enjoy a great course for many more years.
