Today begins the Real Club Valderrama Open de España-Fundación Sergio García and after two days of training and the Pro-Am, held yesterday, the players already know what they are facing: a fierce course in perfect condition in which they will have to be very fine to reach Sunday with a chance of victory.
Very fast greens (expected to reach 12’6” tomorrow), small and moving, narrow fairways, and impeccable course, are some of the hallmarks of the R.C. Valderrama. That the San Roque course is a tough nut to crack is no secret to anyone. But this year the rough, higher and denser, will make things even more difficult. Accuracy, strategy, patience… will be essential to face it.
At 8:35 a.m. the first matches begin. Sergio Garcia, along with Martin Kaymer and Chris Wood will tee off on the 10th tee at 9.25 am. They will be followed by Álvaro Quirós, Soren Kjeldsen and Jaco Van Zyl and then Ross Fisher, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño and Mar Warren.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello will share the match with defending champion James Morrison and Andy Sullivan, who will tee off on the 1st tee at 2:10 p.m., followed by Pablo Larrazábal, Thomas Pieters and Joost Luiten.
Sergio Garcia: “The course is impeccable, the greens are very good, very fast and the rough is higher than ever. It is going to be a tough, interesting Open. We will have to play very well to be on top and we are going to need patience. Valderrama is my favorite course, and it brings back many good memories. I hope to do well this week and repeat the success of 2011.
They have done a great job with the pruning of the cork oaks and it shows on holes like 8, 18 or 13, but at Valderrama you have to put the ball in the place the course requires, otherwise you get very complicated. I think one or two under par every day will be a good result.
I would highlight the 11th and 15th holes for the views, the 17th is an icon, but all the holes have something, it is a course where everything fits. It is strange that the Spanish Open had not been played here, our Open deserves to go to the best courses.
Normally I don’t like to play four weeks in a row, but this is a special occasion, it’s the Spanish Open at Valderrama, so I’ll put on my overalls and do my best.
I am very excited about the Games, every week that Rafa plays well we exchange messages about Brazil. I’m looking forward to being in the Olympic village and meeting other athletes. It is difficult to compare an Olympic medal with a Grand Prix, we have never been to the Games, I don’t know what it feels like. Representing your country is incredible, but the satisfaction I don’t know if it will be comparable.
This summer we have a lot of important tournaments, you have to stay fresh, I will play a maximum of two tournaments in a row starting with The Players and up to the Fedex Cup play-offs.
I am proud to see the Foundation’s posters around the course and the idea is to be involved with the Spanish Open for many years to come. The week after the Masters is not ideal, because many players take the opportunity to rest.
I played very well the first two days of Augusta and also on Sunday, but not on Saturday. The course was complicated, with gusty wind. It is a course where you have to play very well and also have a little bit of luck. On Saturday, for example, on hole one, I thought the ball was a meter and a half away, that I was going to have a birdie option, but it took a slope and I ended up with a double bogey, Augusta will crush you”.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello: “I played the first round and yesterday I walked the second. The course is very good, quite difficult, the greens are fast, the rough is high, and I have to keep suffering. I thought that coming from Augusta maybe the course didn’t seem so demanding, but no way. Augusta from the tee is more benevolent, here the fairways are very narrow and if you miss it, it is very difficult to get to the green.
The par 3’s are shorter, but the greens are small, it is a challenge to catch them and especially to get an uphill putt, sometimes it is impossible and you are left with a very delicate downhill putt.
It was my first Masters and that makes you more tired mentally, everything is new and it is a course that at any moment catches you and can be catastrophic. Mentally it is exhausting, but I have had 3 days to acclimatize.
At the moment I am not thinking about changing circuit, I would like to play both at the same time but I don’t want to rush. At the moment I will wait until the end of the season to decide. My idea is to play the European Tour and complement it with the American, not the other way around, but you have to take it easy, there are very good players like Molinari or Colsaerts who have tried it and it has had a negative impact on their world ranking.
The Games look good but you have to be cautious because other teammates are fighting to get in and if they have a good few months like I have had, they could qualify. It’s not something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid because golf wasn’t an Olympic sport, but it’s the biggest sporting event in the world and it would be an honor. Zika doesn’t worry me, it’s a virus that has been around for a long time although it has more impact now.
The Ryder Cup has been a dream. Both Sergio and Chema (Olazábal) or Miguel Ángel have told me many things, for example, the pressure you feel with the public and it is something I would love to experience.
It is always said that the Open of your country is like the fifth Grand Slam for a player. I have a special affection for this tournament, I have also won the Spanish championship in all categories as an amateur, so it would be an honor to have my name next to the players I admire so much.
This season’s good results are due to progressive work. Last year I already noticed a great improvement although it was not reflected in the results. I had good rounds, but I lacked confidence or made strategic or psychological mistakes. I had anxiety on the greens, too much tension and I have improved that, also the long game, now I am more precise from the tee and in the shots to the flag. That is what has made the results start to come out”.
Martin Kaymer: “Valderrama is one of my favorite courses. I remember the first time I came here in my first season in 2007, I didn’t have a caddie, I carried the bag to the driving range myself. I was very excited to come because I had seen it on TV and it’s one of those places where you want to play. A lot has changed over the years, I don’t have to carry my bag anymore (he jokes).
At Valderrama you can play aggressively or conservatively. If you are conservative, you leave yourself a very long shot to small greens, but if you are aggressive you can’t miss the fairway. You have to know how to value it according to your game.
I really like this kind of courses that make you think, it’s not just about hitting hard off the tee and kicking well. You have to play with strategy and that makes me have a lot of fun, it’s different from the courses we usually play. You have to be very precise, hit the ball very well and leave it in the right place.
The results of this season do not reflect the game, I must be patient. It’s been a tough season, I hope things will change between now and the summer, we have very important tournaments. I am going to focus on the Majors and I know that if I do well, I can qualify for the Ryder Cup.
It was very nice how Danny Willet won the Masters, he did what he had to do. The 17th shot was very difficult and with the option of winning a major, even more so.”
The Real Club Valderrama Open de España-Fundación Sergio García, promoted by the European Tour, has the support of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and the Consejo Superior de Deportes, as well as the sponsorship of several companies that make its celebration possible: Reale, Rolex, Avis, Canon, Heineken, Osborne, Solán de Cabras and Volvo.
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