The faint cry of the emotional outburst can still be heard among the cork trees at Valderrama, venue of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters that will be held from June 27th to June 30th. It was a one-of-a-kind moment deserving of a one-of-a-kind celebration. “I got goosebumps all over”, a still emotional Miguel Ángel Jiménez reminisces. We’re talking, of course, about the albatross the golfer from Malaga made in the second round of the Volvo Masters in 1994. One of the most famous shots in the history of the European Tour. The 17th-hole magic at Real Club Valderrama in all its splendor, an icon which years earlier had managed to exasperate Tiger Woods.
Jiménez wasn’t exactly coming off a good moment in the round. He made a double bogey on the 13th hole and a bogey on the 16th. In fact, in a nutshell, he went from being in the lead in the grand finale of the European Tour to getting lost in the leaderboard. However, maestros don’t need a lot to be awakened and to call on their God-given talent. He hit a solid drive off the tee on the 17th hole, and left the ball 191 meters from the flag, the perfect distance for a 3 iron.
Any other golfer would have doubted the situation. He hadn’t played well the previous holes and it was a high-risk shot to a green perfectly defended by a lake in the middle, a stream to the left and various bunkers. Glory or chaos. Risk and reward, or tragedy. Only the perfect shot would avoid ending up in ruins. And Miguel made the shot, indeed...
“The ball soared through the air and ended up carrying the right distance, bounced on the green, solid, five meters away from the flag and started to roll until it eventually went in”, Miguel recalls. Goosebumps all over his body. Majestic shot. The crowd went mad. An emotional outburst of happiness and excitement flooded the stands in Sotogrande. Everyone knew in that moment that they had witnessed something special that would go down in history. Jimenez was grateful for the significant changes that had been made to that hole for the 1997 Ryder Cup under Seve Ballesteros' supervision.
Jimenez fought for the win in that Volvo Masters to the very last breath, although in the end Bernhard Langer took home the victory. That Friday, October 28th, Langer starred in another grandiose moment at Valderrama. The German golfer handed in a 62 card, a score which, 25 years later and to this day, is still the course record. However, there is nothing more memorable than Jimenez's albatross.
The M for Miguel isn't the only one that's worked its magic on the 17th hole. Thirteen years later, in the same tournament, the Volvo Masters, Graeme McDowell made the second albatross on that very course, on that same corner of the map, on those very grounds, previously known as Las Aves. It happened in the last round while the Northern Irish golfer was fighting for the win.
Gmac hit a 7 iron in his second shot on a day when the ferocious wind at Valderrama helped. Another magical moment. “It was incredible. I had never felt anything like that on a golf course. I know that it will be something I'll never forget and will treasure it forever. Every time I think of it, it makes me smile”, McDowell recalls with a big smile spread across his face.
It's the silver wedding anniversary of Miguel's albatross, and it's been 12 years since McDowell's. In any event, both are eternal, and they've both been commemorated by plaques that mark their place in history at Valderrama. Within just a few days from now, another 144 golfers, those who will compete in the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, will have the opportunity to earn their spot in history next to Jimenez and McDowell in another silver wedding anniversary, seeing as how it will be the twenty-fifth time the European Tour has passed through the impeccable course in Sotogrande.
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 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, the 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.
