Álvaro Quirós is relishing the opportunity to claim a second European Tour title of the season in front of his home fans when the local favourite plays the Andalucia Valderrama Masters hosted by the Sergio García Foundation.
The seven-time European Tour winner grew up in nearby Guadiaro and knows the famous Real Club Valderrama layout inside-out, but has struggled on the notoriously tricky course in the past.
Quirós is hoping to put that right this time around and he returns a 2017 European Tour champion, having claimed his first victory in six years earlier this season at the Rocco Forte Open – Verdura, Sicily.
His fellow Spanish stars, Masters Champion Sergio García and World Number Five Jon Rahm, among many others, will join the Spaniard when he returns to the Sotogrande venue from October 19-22. Tickets to see these Spanish stars in action can be purchased here.
“It’s great news that the Andalucia Valderrama Masters is back, especially considering it’s going to be in Valderrama,” said the 34 year old. “I’d like to think that I’ll have a bit more home support there compared to all other weeks so it would be nice to play well.
“It would be very special to win there obviously. I have always said that winning the Open de España in Seville in 2010 was great for me, and winning the Andalucia Valderrama Masters would be the next step for me.
“Obviously it’s a very important thing to have at least one Spanish tournament on the European Tour and with the influence that Sergio has, every time he turns up at an event, it’s a help. I’m sure if you ask the promoters after the event, they would agree.”
Valderrama has this year undergone major renovations, replacing the surfaces on the greens and surrounding areas on the front nine in order to retains its standing as one of Europe’s best courses – next year it will make the same changes to the back nine.
Quirós, however, does not see those alternations making too much of a difference to how the course will play for the European Tour stars and knows that they will still be facing the same, great old Valderrama course which last year produced a one over par winning score, from Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston.
“The golf course is going to be in great shape as usual. That’s the great thing about Valderrama, we are going there knowing that we’re going to get a golf course in perfect condition.”
“They haven’t really changed anything in terms of the lay-out of the course but they have put new grass on the front nine. Basically the greens are the same, they have tried to build them exactly as it was before but again, the best asset of Valderrama is the condition.
“The golf course is difficult for everybody, that’s the positive thing about it. It’s a special and unique design. It doesn’t really help the long hitters like myself and the greens are very small – that’s just Valderrama.”
