The presentations of golf tournaments, such as the one held on Tuesday 28th September at Real Club Valderrama to announce the latest news about the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, usually offer a balanced mix of hopes, illusions and good news. In this case, the optimistic expectations have been accompanied by strong realities: the tournament doubles its prize money compared to the difficult 2020 and reaches three million euros, opens its doors to the public with almost unlimited seating and counts with the presence of the world number one, Jon Rahm, European stalwart in the recently played Ryder Cup and main attraction for this European Tour event which will be played from October 14-17 and whose main sponsors are Estrella Damm and Andalucía.
The representatives of the institutions and organisations gathered at the Real Club Valderrama, headed by Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, Vice-Minister of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, made clear the importance of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, a tournament which has been declared an event of exceptional public interest by the Spanish Government, to recover normality, without underestimating, far from it, its nature as an economic, tourist and sporting engine for San Roque, Andalusia and Spain.
In his speech, Simon Alliss, tournament director and representative of the European Tour at the event, referred to the character of the championship as a beacon in the recovery of the longed-for normality after a complicated period.
“It has been a very difficult 18 months but I am confident we are through the worst and that the horizon looks bright. We have had 18 months of behind closed-door events, travel restrictions and borders closing down to battle this terrible virus, but here we are – returning to the beautiful Real Club Valderrama (which I hear is in wonderful condition) and looking forward fairways lined with fans, hearing the noise return and welcoming the World Number 1 golfer Jon Rahm back to Andalucia,” said Alliss.
Pablo Mansilla, president of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, wanted to stress the importance of major events to complement the work of dissemination and promotion carried out by the federations, as they serve to bring golf to a much wider audience in an attractive and effective way.
“Big professional events are the best way to promote golf. It is very important to be seen abroad, but also here, where there are still many people who don't know anything about our sport,” said the RFGA president. “In Andalusia we have 48,000 licensed players. In the last two years with the pandemic we have grown by about 3,000 more players, but we want to continue to raise awareness of golf, and for that we need top class events like the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.”
“This tournament is also very important for our next generation of golfers. Seeing the world’s best players up close will inspire our juniors to follow the steps of Jon Rham. The Andalusian champions in children and junior categories will play the Pro-Am. We have more than 6,000 children's licences and they are the future of Andalusian golf,” finished Mansilla.
Ángel Gavino Criado, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Sports in San Roque, emphasised the importance of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters and the Real Club Valderrama in the daily reality of a municipality that has seven clubs throughout its geography and is a Spanish and world reference in its relationship with golf.
“The Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters is an excellent way to bring the name of San Roque to thousands of homes. It will give us a wonderful opportunity to put this whole period of restrictions behind by enjoying the world number one and many other champions. The fans are looking forward to coming back, and for us the tournament is a great way of extending the summer season which has been exceptional,” said the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Sports of San Roque.
Javier Reviriego, General Manager of Real Club Valderrama, emphasised the sporting and organisational strengths of this new edition once the difficulties of the recent past have been overcome, the course's commitment to the environment and the future prospects of the tournament thanks to the new relationship established between the PGA Tour and the European Tour, an alliance that could decisively open the doors of the tournament to the American market.
“Last year we decided to go ahead with the tournament in very difficult circumstances, and we made it despite the restrictions thanks to the loyalty and commitment of the institutions and tournament sponsors. This year we are delighted to see the public come back to Valderrama. Ticket sales are going well and we expect a great atmosphere,” explained Reviriego.
“We will present the course in top condition as usual; the set up will be challenging for the pros but always fair. The main change in recent months has to do with our commitment to more sustainable maintenance. We have replaced grass areas with mulch to save water. We want to maintain the same level of playing quality, but in a more sustainable way in terms of water use, resources and products.”
“We are following with great interest the discussions with the PGA Tour and the European Tour about the possibility of launching a world tour. The best tournaments should be held in the best venues and we also have great institutional and private support, so we remain committed to the tournament's continued growth. We are optimistic and we are fighting for Valderrama to be the venue for this possible world circuit,” emphasized the Real Club Valderrama General Manager.
Finally, and closing the event, Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, representative of the Junta de Andalucía, stressed the importance of golf for Andalusia in different areas, especially now that the health parameters are improving significantly. This region, adding the seventh edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, has already hosted 63 European Tour events in its territory, to which other professional tournaments of the Ladies European Tour, Challenge Tour or Alps Tour must be added, and the future Solheim Cup which will take place in 2023 at Finca Cortesín.
“Covid incidence data allow us to be very optimistic for the autumn. The summer season has gone better than expected, so far we have received 20 million tourists and we expect five million more for the month of October. For the first time we have surpassed Catalonia as a tourist destination, and all of this is thanks to the fact that we have been able to convey a message of safety,” explained the Vice-Minister of Tourism of the Andalusian Regional Government.
“Andalusia has long since gone beyond the sun and beach as a tourist attraction, and golf is an essential part of our offer. We have 21% of the courses in Spain, a total of 104 courses, and there are new projects to increase this figure. Golf allows us to deseasonalise tourism, we receive an average of one million people a year just to play golf and we will continue to support this sector,” said Cardenete.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, a European Tour tournament that will be crucial in the outcome of the Race to Dubai 2021, the order of merit of this circuit, will offer the public a great field led by Jon Rahm, current world number one, first Spanish champion of the U.S. Open and star of the European team in the Ryder Cup recently played in Whistling Straits, where he achieved the highest score (3.5 points in five matches) of the continental team.
Tickets are now available for this year’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, with options for purchasing individual tickets for each day, four-day passes or weekend passes, with preferential rates for children under 14, federated golfers or people with reduced mobility.
Tickets can be purchased from the Tickets menú on the tournament website, at edamgolf.es or at Fever.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, 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 the EU, declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain. This tournament is also supported by the Diputación de Cádiz, Exterior Plus, Hero, Rolex y Santander Private Banking. Callaway, Cinco Jotas, Enterprise, Gadira, Kyocera, La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Marca, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, SO/ Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.
