This fifth edition of the Andalucía Masters – the first with Estrella Damm as title sponsor – has been a complete success in every aspect. Around 45,000 enthusiastic spectators enjoyed the excitement of Christiaan Bezuindehout’s brilliant first European Tour win as well as a great Spanish performance. Backed by full institutional support, the Real Club Valderrama was the ideal setting for a festive week of top class golf.
• One of the most meaningful images of this Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters is indeed the big hug between Christiaan Bezuindehout and his mother after victory.
There is a long story of overcoming adversity behind that picture. At the age of two he mistakenly drank rat poison, an incident that led to him developing a stammer that caused him to suffer anxiety. The beta blockers he took to combat his stammer led to him failing a doping test at the 2014 Amateur Championship, and while his two year ban was reduced to nine months after officials judged he had not been seeking to gain a competitive advantage, he missed out on representing his country at the Eisenhower Trophy. Now five years on from those dark days, he is a European Tour winner and he will make his Major Championship debut at The Open in two weeks.
• Bezuindehout’s family celebrations led Jon Rahm to comment: “Such moments as hugging his mum on 18 are memories forever. When you see the family’s happiness and what he has achieved, you realise that there is much more than golf in life. There are much bigger problems than dropping shots or missing putts.”
• A good number of dignitaries enjoyed the Sunday duel between Jon Rahm and the winner, as well as the performance of the rest of the field. Both María José Rienda, President of the National Sports Council and Juan Marín, Vice-President of the Junta de Andalucía, watched every single shot of the final group. They were joined by Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, Mayor of San Roque and José María Arrabal, General Secretary for Sports of the Junta de Andalucía.
• Christiaan Bezuindehout has been the hottest putter this week. He leads both the GIR Putts (1.435) and the Putts Per Round (23.8) stats, which is certainly impressive on the testy Valderrama greens. Sergio García and Jon Rahm had a very solid week from tee to green, but the South African was the best with the short stick.
• Two Spanish runner-ups, Álvaro Quirós and Eduardo de la Riva, missed out on the consolation prize – a spot in the Open at Royal Portrush. France’s Mike Lorenzo-Vera ousted Quirós with a superb up-and-down on the last. De la Riva missed a putt for birdie to finish outright second (which he needed in order to qualify, being the lowest ranked in the OGWR), and it was Adri Arnaus who got the place despite his bogey finish.
• Special mention must be made of the volunteers and all the staff members who have made the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters such a success. The green keeping team, headed by Adolfo Ramos, was up a 3:30 every morning in order to present the course in pristine condition. The result of their efforts has been highly praised by all.
