George O’Grady, CEO of the European Tour: “Jaime Ortiz-Patiño has provided proud moments for the European Tour; he was the one who, in a way, changed the course of golf in Europe.
“His vision and dedication to the sport of golf through the Volvo Masters and, of course, the Ryder Cup, has been second to none as has the excellence in terms of course preparation. He set the bar very high, no one had ever seen a course in the condition that he presented Valderrama. He was a gentleman and he will be greatly missed”.
José Mari Olazábal, captain of the 2012 Ryder Cup European team: “He was a man of strong character who did not hesitate when he wanted to do something, and he put all his energy and determination into achieving what he set out to do.
“He has left us a great legacy, Valderrama, his work of art. He set out to make Las Aves (that was the name of the course before 1985) a special place, a unique place, and he succeeded, boy did he succeed! The Volvo Masters was played there for 16 years and placed Valderrama on the golf map. That tournament and that course were decisive in the development of the European Tour. It also made Andalusia known as a first class golf destination.
“We had many conversations and he was always interested in the future of the Tour, he had a very broad vision and very clear things. Through the tournaments played at Valderrama, he was determined to give a good image of golf, he wanted to popularize it and show the world that golf is a sport that is worthwhile and has values.
“I remember how excited he was in the early Volvo Masters. He liked to control everything and sometimes he was a bit drastic! He would get up at 4:30 in the morning, at night, and go to the course to work with his maintenance team, he would even take the machine and cut greens. He had a marked and very special character, not just anyone can do that.
“During the 97 Ryder Cup he was very close to the team, he talked a lot with Seve, he didn’t want there to be any mistakes and he controlled everything, everything except one thing he couldn’t control: the weather. He didn’t want there to be any mistakes and he controlled everything, everything except one thing that was out of his control: the weather. How it rained! It poured. It fell in Valderrama what had not fallen in Andalusia in 40 years. We are very sorry for him. He did everything in his power without sparing any effort, he checked and was on top of the smallest detail so that the Ryder Cup would be perfect and he had the course in perfect condition.
“I believe that Spanish and European golf owe a lot to Jaime, they will always be indebted to him. The tournaments that have been played at Valderrama have been the ultimate representation of good work, they have been synonymous with quality and excellence. We are going to miss him a lot”.
Sergio Garcia, last winner at Valderrama, Andalucia Masters 2011: “It is a very sad day, not only for Spain but for the whole golf world. Jaime Ortiz-Patiño was a great man; he created something very special, a masterpiece that will remain forever.
“Winning at Valderrama was not just another tournament, for me it had a greater meaning: it was the first Spanish player to triumph on his home course, on the course to which he had dedicated himself body and soul and loved so much. It was a very special victory, in a very special place, which I will treasure. All my love and support for his sons, Felipe and Carlos; they are a family with whom I have always maintained a close relationship and I am very fond of them”.
Angel Gallardo, Vice President of the European Tour: “We spent many good times together, the best were during the preparation of the Ryder Cup 97. Every day he arrived at the meetings at 6 / 6.30 am! One day I tried to get there before him and there he was waiting for me.
“One night when we were having a drink, after an exhausting day, he kept telling me: “Angel, we have to do this, that… We have to change this, that…”. I replied: “It’s the Ryder Cup, we have a great team and the only thing we need is for you to let us work”; he looked at me and replied: “It’s true, you are right. I am becoming a dictator and we don’t need any other dictatorship”.
“The last time I saw him was in November, he came to dinner at my apartment in Crans-sur-Sierre. He brought a very good wine and we had “Fondue Bourgignon” for dinner, which he loved. It was a very pleasant evening.
“I think Jaime has not only done a lot for Spanish golf but also for European golf; he has been the “soul” of golf in Europe. We named him Honorary Vice President of the European Tour, a well-deserved recognition for a great man”.
Mel Pyatt, founder of the Volvo Masters, worked side by side with Jaime Ortiz-Patiño for 16 years: “Today is a sad day; I am very sorry for the loss of my friend Jimmy. In 1987 we shook hands and started working on the organization of the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. It was a gentlemen’s agreement, there was no need to sign a contract.
“We maintained a close personal and business relationship, respecting each other; we shared the same values and were convinced that we could deliver the best professional golf tournament in Europe. The Volvo Masters and Valderrama set the highest standards in quality, being recognized and followed by all. This would not have been possible without Jimmy’s passion and perfection. He will be missed by the golf world.
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño was named Honorary Vice President of the European Tour in May 2010, during the celebration of the BMW PGA in Wentworth. He received the distinction from George O’Grady, Chief Executive Officer, with Ángel Gallardo and José Mari Olazábal as witnesses.
His sons, Felipe and Carlos, his four grandchildren and his faithful friend Alucinio Pineda, who has been by his side for 41 years, as well as all his friends inside and outside the golf world, will miss him. May he rest in peace.
Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation: “The figure of Jaime Ortiz-Patiño has been decisive in the development in Spain, not only of golf, but also of quality tourism. He put Sotogrande, San Roque and the Costa del Sol on the map, making them known all over the world, even in the United States.
“He had such enthusiasm and put so much effort into doing things right that for him there was no such thing as half measures. A lot is said about his influence on golf through the great tournaments that have been played at Valderrama, the Volvo Masters, Amex and the Ryder Cup, but what many people don’t know is that he has been fundamental in the development of greenkeepers in our country, being today at the head of Europe. It was he who started offering scholarships to young people he sent to study golf course maintenance at the University of Michigan. Then the Royal Spanish Golf Federation took over, but the idea and initiative were his.
“A clear example is David Gómez, who began his career with a scholarship from him and currently heads the Green Section at the RFEG, an expert in this field who has earned a privileged place in Europe and is considered everywhere.
“He was always very important and proactive with the environment, leading and supporting the fight in Europe to do the right things in this regard. He was committed to ensuring that everyone complied with sustainable development standards and was instrumental in the creation of GEO (Golf Environment Organization).
“The last time I was with him was during the Andalusia Open at Aloha, we had a very nice lunch on the terrace, together with Angel de la Riva.”
Miguel Ángel Jiménez, golf champion: “He was a man with very clear ideas about golf. Valderrama was his “third son”; he transformed it and, through major tournaments such as the Volvo Masters, the WGC-Amex and the Ryder Cup, he managed to place it at the pinnacle of the golf world. His tenacity, will and perseverance were extraordinary, he achieved whatever he set his mind to.
“I know he was very fond of me. I played with him in the Pro-Am of the Volvo Masters 95 and I almost made an albatross on the 17th hole, as in the tournament the year before. He always told me: “Miguel, let’s see if you win once and for all in Valderrama, I would be very excited if you won a tournament here”.
“I think he should be a mirror to look up to, a role model for many in the golf world. You may or may not like the way he did things, you may or may not agree with him, but you have to take your hat off to him, he was passionate about everything he did.
“I remember the first Volvo Masters very well, always on top of every detail supervising everything, nothing escaped him. At 5 a.m. he was on the course working with his team, not giving them orders but doing the necessary work so that we had the course in the best conditions.
“The last time I saw him was in September in Crans-sur-Sierre; in March he came to see me and show his support for the Andalusia Open in Aloha. He walked around the course, greeted us all, and was very affectionate with me.”
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, golf champion: “Yesterday I was at Valderrama when he passed away, and you only had to see the faces of sadness and dismay of all the employees to realize how much his figure has meant to them. Together with Joe McMicking (founder of Sotogrande), they have been two essential pillars for this area, for Guadiaro and San Roque; they are very much loved here and people are very grateful for the amount of good things they have done, for everything they have contributed.
“The Valderrama course, around which a legend has been created, will always be its insignia and Jaime Ortiz-Patiño’s imprint will remain on it; one of my dreams was to be a member and I finally achieved it. I am fortunate to be able to enjoy his great legacy”.
VALDERRAMA GOLF CLUB PRESS RELEASE
The entire team of the Valderrama Golf Club, its Board of Directors and its members deeply regret the death of Mr. Jaime Ortiz-Patiño yesterday. We convey our deepest condolences to the family, especially to his sons Carlos and Felipe.
Nuno de Brito e Cunha, President of Valderrama Golf Club: “We believe it is important to remember “Jimmy’s” great legacy and contribution to the world of golf. He worked tirelessly to ensure that Valderrama hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup, sixteen editions of the Volvo Masters and the AMEX World Championships. We all know that the Ryder Cup would never have left the British Isles had it not been for his perseverance and vision.
“Spanish golf should be deeply grateful for his work and for the courage he had to turn Valderrama Golf Club into a world reference. The promotion received by Sotogrande, San Roque, Andalusia and Spain is priceless and we are all very grateful for it.
“The work of D. Jaime will endure in time, the historic moments lived in the tournaments held at Valderrama will never be forgotten and will remain forever in the memory of golf fans”.
REST IN PEACE.
WE HAVE LOST SOMETHING OF OUR LAND
We are still not aware of the enormous loss suffered with the disappearance of Don Jaime Ortiz Patiño…Excellency Sir, in all the extension of the word, dedicated body and soul to his excessive and altruistic passion, to our beloved sport, Golf. He worked for him all his life, as a Player, as a Director, as a Worker, because he did not have hours to dedicate to it, he would go at dawn or at night with the team of Operators to supervise and watch over the work so that EVERYTHING would be PERFECT.
Thus, he got the wonderful Valderrama Club and Course, today thanks to him, his commitment, his sacrifice and work; just by hearing that name, in North America and around the world, it is known that this wonder is in San Roque, Cadiz, Andalusia and therefore in Spain.
What this gentleman has done for our Golf is of a category and scope of unimaginable proportions. Before he arrived, of course, many other illustrious characters, contributed and helped Andalusian Golf a lot, but…the bell…was given by Don Jaime bringing the RYDER CUP to the Costa del Golf, which is soon said! to his beloved course, admired since then by thousands and thousands of players who came to tread the same grass that before did world stars of the sport, to play their difficult greens, bunkers…, in short to say “I played in Valderrama”. And all this… Thanks to whom?
To whom with all our pain and infinite gratitude today we say goodbye from this world, but not from our hearts, because nobody dies at all as long as he is remembered…and Don Jaime will never die…he will live on, walking through our fields that he loved so much, Sotogrande the one he knew first, Valderrama his masterpiece and La Cañada, the Girl of his eyes, I know it.
May God bless him and wherever he is, may he see us remember him and love him always…always, many of us will continue to do so. Alucinio, I know how you feel, with the immense pain of having lost a person very dear to you, with whom you have lived more than forty years, especially the last ones.
I enjoyed his sincere friendship and affection, we had hours and hours of conversations and all of them, especially the intimate ones, remain in me as a real treasure, for me they were a continuous lesson on how to lead, to be, to listen, and why not? they said that he had a strong character, with me he never showed it… but I am sure that without that inner strength, he would not have achieved what we have today…
THANK YOU JAIME FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE LEFT US AFTER YOUR DEPARTURE !
Many things remain in the inkwell….others inside my soul.
Angel de la Riva
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