The eighth event of the 2024 G4D Tour season will take place at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters from October 14-15, the second net tournament in the Tour’s history.
Competitors will take part in the two-round event at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande before their DP World Tour counterparts compete on the same layout from October 17-20.
The first net tournament took place at the G4D Tour @ Ras Al Khaimah Championship earlier this year as South African Robin Singh claimed his maiden G4D Tour title. The net format has been introduced to the schedule in an effort to further opportunities for golfers with a wider spectrum of disabilities.
Eight men and two women from the Net division of the World Ranking for Golfers with a Disability (WR4GD) will tee it up in Andalucia, with Italian Jose Bagnarelli set to arrive as the highest-ranked player in second.
Joining him in the field are Robin Singh, Australian Steven Alderson, Italians Riccardo Bianciardi and Davide Fasci, New Zealand’s Guy Harrison, Frenchman Mathieu Lebon and Argentinian Joshua Exequiel Riccardo who will become the first South American player to participate in a G4D Tour event. The two female competitors are France’s Alexia Girault and Norway’s Mette Havnaas.
Bagnarelli had a motorcycle accident which led to his plexus brachial, the main nerve of his right arm, being severed with a complete paralysis as a consequence. He is relishing the prospect of teeing it up in Sotogrande next week with his son Bruno alongside him.
“I am so thrilled and proud to have the opportunity to be part of such an amazing event,” he said. “Just the thought of practising next to my favourite Tour champions makes me dizzy.
“Even though I like to think of myself as a citizen of the world, representing my country is always a great honour for me. This time I will bring a special supporter from home as my son Bruno will be caddying for me during the event.”
Bianciardi finished third in the inaugural G4D Net tournament in Ras Al Khaimah in January, and he is delighted to have been given another opportunity on the circuit for golfers with a disability.
“These events encourage us to improve ourselves and to work harder,” he said. “I was thrilled to be invited to the G4D Tour @ Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters and I can't wait to be there.
“Golf is my rebirth where I have found personal growth, learning never to give up and remain patient.”
Havnaas contracted Stevens-Johnson syndrome in 1996, an autoimmune skin reaction typically caused by the body rebelling against a medication, which led to the loss of her sight in both eyes. The Norwegian took up golf after losing her sight and is she now hoping to inspire other visually impaired people to take up the sport.
“I found golf after losing my sight and I love it,” she said. “I started open-minded, I didn’t know what I’d think. But it was a good feeling, and great fun. I would definitely recommend the visually impaired to try golf.
“It is a great sport where you can challenge yourself. It is a social sport where you meet many nice people, and I feel incredibly proud and grateful to participate in the G4D Tour in Spain.”
The winner of the event will earn automatic qualification for the G4D Tour Series Finale, where they will play in a net competition.
Live scoring from the G4D Tour @ Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters will be available on the DP World Tour website, with further coverage across the Tour’s social media channels.
Tickets for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters are already available, with discounts for members of the federation (and their families/friends) and free access for children under 13, and can be purchased here.
The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, an event in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai made possible by the essential contribution of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.
