The strong commitment of Estrella Damm as title sponsor for a five-year term, together with the full institutional support of the Junta de Andalucía mean an important boost for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio García Foundation. This European Tour event will be held at Real Club Valderrama from June 27-30 featuring a strong field and a prize fund of €3 million–50 percent higher than the 2018 edition. This will be the 61st European Tour event played on Andalusian soil, which establishes this area as the Spanish powerhouse of international golf.
Real Club Valderrama is the flagship of golf in this area, having staged 25 of those events. The relevance of Andalusia as a leading golf destination and a major force in sports and tourism has been highlighted by the authorities gathered at Real Club Valderrama on Monday, June 10th, headed by Juan Marín, Vice President and Councillor for Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía. He was joined at the presentation table by Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, Mayor of San Roque and Vice President of the Diputación de Cádiz; Nuno de Brito e Cunha, President of Real Club Valderrama; Pablo Mansilla García, President of the Royal Andalusia Golf Federation; Peter Adams, European Tour Head of Championship Manager; and Javier Reviriego Bóveda, General Manager of Real Club Valderrama.
Juan Marín, Vice President of the Junta de Andalucía: “On behalf of the Government of Andalusia, I wish to acknowledge and thank the sponsorship of Estrella Damm. The contribution of private companies, as well as the institutions, is key to the success of this event. I am convinced that this will be a long-standing partnership, because anybody that comes to Andalusia will not want to leave–they are very welcome here.
“In a few days’ time we will have the best golfers competing, and, once again, Valderrama will showcase Andalusia to 400 million spectators. Golf plays a major role in Andalusia’s tourism industry–when golf does well, tourism does well–so much so that we are breaking all records. Last year we had 104 golf courses–70 percent of them in Málaga and Cádiz–and 600,000 tourists came only for golf; this year we are already 6 percent over that figure, This type of tourist stays longer, spends more and generates more benefit.
“I wish to reaffirm our commitment to the tournament for the coming years because golf is a priority sector in the action plan of the Junta de Andalucía and will remain so in 2020. Andalusia is reaching historical levels and will continue to do so, providing we keep striving for quality and excellence such as exemplified by Real Club Valderrama.”
Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, Mayor of San Roque: “Not even eight months after the last edition of this event, we are growing stronger. We have the longstanding support of Sergio García, who is part of the family, and now Joh Rahm has joined our team. The big challenge is to promote this tournament into the Rolex Series, and we can do it by working together.
“I want to give a very special thank you to Estrella Damm, and I would like to encourage other companies to join this tournament which has been declared of exceptional public interest and provides tax benefits. Golf generates economic activity and wealth that stays in the area. If anybody still harbours prejudices against golf, they should think again. Golf is an accessible sport, as proved every day at San Roque where we have a municipal golf school with over 300 students. Top players such as Álvaro Quirós and María Parra came out of this school.
“I invite every golf fan to come enjoy the action, and if they have any energy left after following the players, we have scheduled the Guadiaro fair for the same week.”
Nuno Brito e Cunha, President of Real Club Valderrama: “Valderrama has a brilliant competitive history of world-class tournaments–Ryder Cup, American Express, Volvo Masters–although we had a gap of several years without them. This club always had in mind hosting big tournaments again, and thanks to the Junta de Andalucía–our major friend and associate–we managed to take the first steps towards renewed competition at Valderrama. The 2016 Open de España was a good start, and we kept progressing from there.
“This year we are taking the second step. With the support of the Junta de Andalucía and our new sponsor, Estrella Damm, we have built a bigger and richer tournament with more international weight. But this club doesn’t want to stop here; it’s no secret that we plan to go one step more. I Suggest that we all work together in order to have a Rolex Series event within the next few years. It’s a high call, but I believe that it’s worth the effort for Spain and for Andalusia.”
Pablo Mansilla García, President of the Royal Andalusia Golf Federation: “It is a privilege to have Real Club Valderrama and we must be thankful, because such a jewel would be impossible without the constant efforts of the club and its members. We also thank the Junta de Andalucía for their support. We all know that golf is not only a sport, but a big industry in Andalusia–the main golf destination in Europe and the number one destination of international golf tourism in the world.”
Peter Adams, Head of Championship Management of the European Tour: “El European Tour está en deuda con la Junta de Andalucía, que ha apoyado muchos de los torneos albergados por Valderrama y que ha desempeñado un papel trascendental a la hora de promoverlos. Somos plenamente conscientes de la importancia que tiene el turismo de golf para Andalucía y haremos todo lo posible para promocionar la marca Andalucía en todo el mundo.
"The Estrella Damm N.A, Andalucía Masters has a bright future ahead and we are very much looking forward to working with the Consejero, Mr. Juan Marín, in developing and growing this event for the coming years. This event will have a very positive effect on the promotion of golf in Spain and more specifically in Andalucía.”
Javier Reviriego Bóveda, General Manager of Real Club Valderrama: “Up to now this tournament was normally held in autumn, so this year the new dates will mean different weather conditions. This will change considerably the course set-up compared to October, as the fairways will be harder, the greens will be firmer and the rough will be slightly thicker.
“At the end of the day we must protect ourselves from the huge distances that these players hit the ball, because our course is not long for modern standards. We must set the course up in order to reward skill and strategy more than distance. It has always been our policy to maintain the essence of our course, and to provide a tough test for the players and a good show for the public.”
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation returned to the European Tour schedule in 2017 after a six-year gap, with the Junta de Andalucía and Sergio Garcia supporting the event through his foundation, and a new era for the event was heralded this year when Estrella Damm, the iconic premium lager brand of the Spanish brewing company Damm, became the new title sponsor in a significant five-year deal.
Tickets for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters 2019 hosted by the Sergio García Foundation are on sale now at the event website, starting from just €7 for juniors and €18 for adults (free entry for children aged under 12 when accompanied by an adult). For more information, see the event website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio García Foundation, an event in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Regeneración, Justicia y Administración Local of the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by EU and declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Spanish Government. This 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, Enterprise, Grupo Raga, ISDIN, Korporate Technologies Group, Marca, Maui Jim, el Hospital QuirónSalud Campo de Gibraltar, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf and Volvo are official suppliers. 5J, Gadira, Grupo Joly and Varma collaborate in the event as well.
