England’s Matt Fitzpatrick has claimed the coveted Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters trophy with a brilliant display of patience and tactics at Real Club Valderrama. Fitzpatrick, the highest ranked player competing on Sunday found the right targets and kept his cool when his birdie putts failed to drop. While he posted par after par his rivals faltered, and he was able at last to make back to back birdies on 16 and 17 to take the lead.
With overnight leader Laurie Canter moving backward, it was Sebastian Soderberg who held the lead for much of the round after a brilliant start, but the Swede collapsed in the final stretch.
The two-time Ryder Cup player capped his bogey-free 2-under par 69 for a three shot win, and got a standing ovation from the fans on the final green. He becomes the first English winner in the seven editions of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, and the sixth in 26 European Tour events played in Valderrama along the years. This means a lot to him.
“It's on the bucket list to win round Valderrama with the history that it has. To do it bogey free on Sunday as well is extra special. I'm delighted. It’s amazing, particularly the way I did It - very patient all day, didn't try to press anything, stuck to our targets and managed to hole the putts at the end. I'm delighted with the win.
There isn’t a breather hole out here. 16 is a tough driver, 17, disaster can happen, 18, par is a great score. That was how I felt all day. I felt if I could hang in there, hang around and pick up a couple of birdies if possible, pars were never a bad thing, and that’s what I did.”
With this win, his seventh European Tour title, Fitzpatrick moves to fifth on the Race to Dubai Rankings and into the top 25 on the Official World Golf Ranking.
Pablo Larrazábal, the best Spaniard at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters finished 20th (+1) after breaking par on Sunday. Alejandro Cañizares, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Sebastián García Rodríguez share 25th place (+2).
INSIDE THE ROPES
Strong institutional support for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters
The vice-president of the Junta de Andalucía and Regional Minister for Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration, Juan Marín, attended the last day of the tournament to show his support for an event that he considers fundamental to showcase Andalucía in the media all over the world.
Marín highlighted the contribution of the tournament to the Andalusian economy due to its capacity to attract national and international tourists "with medium-high purchasing power, with a long stay and who tend to travel several times a year and help us to fight seasonality".
The Vice President of the Junta de Andalucía considers the golf sector to be fundamental at a time of recovery in the tourism sector. "When others were betting on not holding certain events, we showed that they could go ahead despite the circumstances." This effort is now paying off by consolidating Andalusia as a venue for major competitions.
Marín was pleased to state that "after difficult period the summer has been good and the autumn much better than expected. We are now reaching occupancy levels that exceed our expectations", as reflected in the occupancy figures for the recent Columbus long weekend of around 90% or 95% in coastal areas and over 78% in inland provinces.
The unforgiving 17th
Once again, the famous par five played a crucial role in the outcome of the event. Sebastian Soderberg stood on the 17th tee two shots clear, looking for his second European Tour victory with four birdies, an eagle, and only two bogeys on his card. However, a lost tee shot opened the door to his rivals in the final stretch. He played a provisional ball and three putted for a painful double bogey. Another bogey on the last relegated him to share the second place with Min Woo Lee.
Winners perform in Valderrama
Defending champion John Catlin said goodbye to Valderrama on a positive note. The American went round in 67 (-4), the joint best score of the day along with Gavin Green, to finish tied eleventh.
Andrew Johnston, who claimed the 2016 Open de España on this course, carded a final round of 69 (-2) to finish tied fifteenth.
Much more than a great putter
Although Matt Fitzpatrick is renowned as one of the best putters on Tour, his performance at Valderrama made it clear that the Englishman has a lot of magic in his bag beyond the putter ̶ and his irons worked wonders.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work on my irons, me and my coach Mike Walker. Maybe I don’t give him enough credit but he’s the best in the business in my opinion. He spends hours and hours looking at my swing, trying to get things right, finding little things we can improve on. There’s so much credit to give to him on the things we’ve worked on and change, to improve them. It showed this week.”
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, Quirónsalud, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, SO/ Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.
