The sun shining this week at the Real Club Valderrama seems to have activated the 22 Spaniards present at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters – Fundación Sergio García, a tournament to be played from June 27 to 30 at the beautiful San Roque course. Led by Sergio García, defending champion, and Jon Rahm, our country’s best golfer in the world ranking, the golfers of the Armada agree in respectfully valuing a course that has deservedly earned its reputation as a fierce challenge, but at the same time they are eager to test themselves in one of the most recognizable icons of world golf, a club that hosts this week its twenty-fifth round of the European Tour.
If we were to take the simile to the realm of comic books, we might remember a certain famous Kryptonian who obtained amazing powers through the effect of sunlight. That is the feeling that the Spaniards transmit, although generalizations are gross. The prevailing heat in Sotogrande is hardening the greens of a Valderrama that imposes, but there is harmony and unanimity also when it comes to face the difficulties posed by the course.
“With the change of dates, it will be more of a tournament that is very similar to what all professionals like. At this time of the year, the Tour and the greenkeeper can hurry up the conditions because the weather is more favorable. In October it is always possible to have some water, it is more humid and the course is played in perfect conditions, but more conditioned by the weather. This week the course will also be perfect but the screening will be greater because the greens are harder and more demanding. This is what makes us players excited, that the course will be fair to those who play well and penalize those who play worse. We are going to play a more selective Valderrama, in the style we like, as this course has always been”, explained Álvaro Quirós eloquently after the family photo that brings together all the Spaniards in the European Tour tournaments thanks to the tradition established long ago by María Acacia López Bachiller, the historic press officer of the European Tour.
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño agreed with the analysis of the player from Guadiaro and also made clear his desire to fight with a tough Valderrama that would make things difficult for the participants in this edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
“I like to play this course in complicated conditions in which the pars are good. It’s what I want to do as I’m playing because I don’t see myself making a round of 65 or 64 strokes, but rounds of par or under par I can fight, so I’m looking forward to it and very excited,” explained the Spaniard. “The greens are going to be very firm with the heat coming, I hope the wind blows a little because I think it is the defense of this course and the combination of wind, fast greens and rough in the antegreens, is how we all want to play Valderrama”.
Adri Arnaus, who has just played his first major at the U.S. Open recently held at Pebble Beach, also makes his professional debut at Real Club Valderrama, a course that is not very friendly to rookies. Even so, the Catalan golfer finds reasons for optimism.
“It’s the first time I’ve played at Valderrama and I’m very excited, I was really looking forward to it. It’s a course where you have to place the ball a lot, know where to be, it reminded me of Pebble Beach two weeks ago, where you had to play a little bit short to be on top of the flags. Obviously, playing with the best in the world and being able to say I did pretty well gives extra motivation and confidence.
The reference to the U. S. Open is not at all gratuitous, since the greens at Real Club Valderrama, carefully tended by the team led by Adolfo Ramos, are reaching a devilish speed and a degree of firmness that will be their main defense against the talent of the participants of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
As an additional motivation for the players, the three places for the Open Championship that for the first time a tournament on Spanish soil awards, another milestone that accumulates the Real Club Valderrama, also a pioneer when it comes to hosting a Ryder Cup outside the British Isles.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters – Sergio García Foundation returned to the European Tour calendar in 2017 thanks to the support of the Junta de Andalucía and the Sergio García Foundation, and the addition of Estrella Damm, the Mediterranean beer brewed with 100% natural ingredients, as title sponsor for the next five years marks a new era for the tournament, which will distribute three million euros in prize money in 2019, one more than in the previous edition.
Tickets
They are already on sale on the tournament website tickets for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters 2019 – Sergio García Foundation. Access is free for accompanied children under 12 years old, and there are tickets from 7 € for children under 17 years old and 18 € for adults. More information on the tournament website and on Facebook, Instagram y Twitter.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters – Sergio García Foundation, a European Tour tournament valid for the Race to Dubai that is held thanks to the essential collaboration of the Real Club Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, in addition to being co-financed with European funds and declared an event of exceptional public interest by the Government of Spain. The tournament is also supported by the Diputación de Cádiz, Dubai Duty Free, Rolex, Exterior Plus, La Reserva Club de Sotogrande, Santander Private Banking and Shell. Callaway, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, Grupo Raga, ISDIN, Korporate Technologies Group, Marca, Maui Jim, Hospital QuirónSalud Campo de Gibraltar, the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation and Volvo are official suppliers. Also collaborating are 5J, Gadira, Grupo Joly and Varma.
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