The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters has once again confirmed that it is much more than just a great golf tournament thanks to the initiative set up by the European Tour and the San Roque City Council to clean the Torreguadiaro beach. Hundreds of volunteers, students, and local residents joined the efforts of Santiago Tarrío and Alejandro Cañizares, two of the best Spanish players in this week’s field.

This initiative is part of the European Tour's Green Drive programme, created to promote social and environmental responsibility and generate a positive impact in terms of sustainability. The clean-up took place on Tuesday 12 with an immediate and visible effect, as volunteers were busy picking up litter and micro plastics in this wonderful environment of the San Roque coastline.

Every year almost eight million tonnes of plastic waste go to the sea. This is extremely harmful to marine and human life, as it contributes to the reduction of biodiversity and the extinction of species. The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters team organised this beach clean-up operation with the single objective of collecting as much plastic and rubbish as possible in order to make the beach and the sea cleaner and safer for everyone.

The two players who volunteered, Santiago Tarrio and Alejandro Cañizares, worked with enthusiasm and praised this initiative promoted by the local entities and the tournament sponsors. 

"Activities like these help make us all better. At the end of the day it's not just about playing golf; we must teach the next generation the wonderful values of golf, and these initiatives show something more important that the game  ̶ that we must respect the environment to respect ourselves," said Tarrío.

“The amount of rubbish that litters our beaches is just incredible, and we must realize at once that taking care of our environment is taking care of ourselves. I hope this will go beyond San Roque, Andalusia and Spain because it’s a global problem that we must resolve together. It costs nothing to help and not pollute", said Alejandro Cañizares.

The volunteers were rewarded for their efforts and commitment as the first 200 participants received a pass to enter the Real Club Valderrama on Saturday and enjoy the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

We would like to thank the San Roque City Council, the International School of Sotogrande for bringing so many young people, and the volunteers. They were able to collect 230 kilos of rubbish between them and left the Torreguadiaro beach cleaner. 

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, Quirónsalud, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, SO/ Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.

A relaxed and smiling Rafa Cabrera Bello looks forward to the challenge of Real Club Valderrama, once again at its best for this three million euro event in the decisive phase of the Race to Dubai.

Rafa recalls distant memories, well aware of the demands of the historic layout.

“Valderrama is a course that I've always loved, and I've been very conscious of how difficult it is. I played it for the first time when I was 12 years old as a junior, and I grew up dreaming of playing here because the most important tournament on the European Tour, the Volvo Masters, was played here. I think this course suits my game. It's not excessively long and you need to be very straight. The shots to the green are crucial, you need to know where to miss and you need a good short game. The only thing I haven't been able to do is to play freely. It's an intimidating course because only the perfect shot is good, but instead of worrying, the best way to go is to relax and believe that you're going to hit it well. I have never performed really well in Valderrama, and that’s something I hope to change.”

Las week’s win in Madrid has changed his outlook and boosted his confidence.

“If I saw the light at the end of the tunnel before, we are now out of the tunnel. Obviously, the course is very demanding; Valderrama is probably the most intimidating course I've ever played, and hopefully coming here with my confidence levels at 100% will help me a lot this week. I've noticed that the course is a bit easier because they've cleaned it up a bit. The last time I played here the rough was very high, but no matter what year you come, you get intimidating shots. And I use the word intimidating not because I'm going to play with fear, but to convey the feeling that we players have when we face the challenge of almost every shot on this course.”

After winning in front of a passionate gallery last weekend, the Open de España champion will play again for a tide of fans as he shares the stellar group with Jon Rahm and Matt Fitzpatrick for his first two rounds from Thursday at 9:40.

“This will not be the first time I play with Jon, and it's great to play with the crowd wanting to cheer you on. You have that added bit of pressure of wanting to do well for them to thank them for coming to see us. I can't promise that I will play well, but I can promise that right up to the last green I will be giving it my best shot.”

Fond images of his recent victory will be fresh in his mind.

“Last week was obviously very special. I have been competing for the Open de España since 2002 as an amateur and I gave myself a chance in 2019. It really is the fifth major for every Spanish player and I like to think that my name will remain on the trophy alongside those of other great Spanish players after I am gone. Nobody has followed me on more rounds of golf than my father. He saw me win as an amateur, but never as a professional. For a father, to see his son win his National Open in Madrid with the whole crowd roaring his name must have been huge. To be able to give that to my father made me feel very emotional.”

INSIDE THE ROPES

Pau Gasol takes up golf

The classic pre-tournament Pro-Am was held today with the presence of Pau Gasol, the Spanish basketball idol who recently announced his retirement. Gasol has swapped basketball courts for tees, fairways and greens.

“I started during confinement, as it was one of the few activities you could do outdoors. I started while I was recovering in the States and it helped me disconnect mentally”. 

Gasol has played with Adri Arnaus, whom he met at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. The Catalan professional, a big fan of Gasol, proposed a game of golf back in Spain, and they have played a few times since then.

Pau admits that he is hooked on golf, and he is enjoying it immensely.

“I'm getting to know a bunch of nice, wholesome people in golf. This game is a challenge and I want to keep improving.” 

The Spanish basketball icon finds some similarities between both sports

“You must work long hours, stay focused on every shot, not accumulate mistakes, have a short memory, and be aggressive when it counts. For the rest, just enjoy.”

There was another great sportsman and golf addict in the group, Luis Figo. They played the first round with Adri Arnáus and the second with Scott Robert McIntyre.

Martin Kaymer, a big fan of Valderrama

Germany's Martin Kaymer, world number one in 2011 and winner of the 2010 US PGA Championship and the 2014 US Open, is looking to improve on last year’s second finish and finally win on one of his favourite courses.

“Valderrama is very special for many reasons; it's a real icon of golf in Europe. I tend to play well here, I love it, and the course is always in incredible condition”.

Defender John Catlin looks to strike again

Defending champion John Catlin recalls with emotion his triumph at Valderrama, his first victory on the European Tour.

“It was huge for me, especially on a course like this. I remember perfectly many of the shots and look forward to competing again. It was like a boxing match, one punch after another and it turned out that I stayed on my feet until the 18th green. I'm proud of how I handled the situation, I had won tournaments before, but to do it on the European Tour is another level. That win was great for my confidence.”

The future of Andalusian golf at Valderrama

Once again the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation has seized the opportunity of having Europe´s best competing at Valderrama to motivate young Andalusian golfers.

All the champions in children and junior categories have been invited to play the Pro-Am. This initiative is not just a prize, but the best way to inspire future champions by watching first-hand what professional golf is like. Andalusia has around 6,000 children's licences, a great foundation for the future.   

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, Quirónsalud, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, SO/ Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.

Just as Jon Rahm displays a wide variety of shots and skills on the golf course, the world number one approaches press conferences with a balanced mix of eloquence, confidence and analytical flair.  Rahm didn't evade any questions in his press conference at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters and made it clear how much the Real Club Valderrama means to him and how thrilled he would be to succeed on this historic layout.

“As I have often said, I owe my golf to Valderrama, when back in ’97 a group of my father’s Friends came to watch the Ryder Cup out of curiosity and got hooked on golf. That’s why my family started playing golf, and that’s why I am here.

It would be amazing to win here, and not only because this was the starting point, but also because of the history of the Volvo Masters, which was played here for such a long time as the last tournament of the year. I would love to join the list of great players who have won here because it's a very difficult course where any weakness in your game is always going to be accentuated by the course. You can't have anything going wrong this week, and the winner here is always a deserved winner. There is no luck. The winner will be the one who really faces up to the challenge of playing at Valderrama and does it better than the rest. I was lucky enough to play well two years ago and finished second, but let's see if I can go one better this time.”

In fact, Jon Rahm is willing to go a little further to make the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters grow. There is an agreement in the horizon between the two most important tours in the world and the possibility of the Real Club Valderrama hosting a tournament valid for both tournaments.

“Valderrama would definitely be a great venue for a hybrid between the European and US tours, and I'm going to do my best to get everyone to come here, because apart from being a great golf course, for me it's a great change from the PGA Tour. On many courses we play on the PGA Tour it’s just a driver, an 8 iron as high as possible and a chip if you miss the green. It’s very repetitive.

Valderrama is very different. It’s not a long course and it shows that distance is not everything. Here you need to play golf, you need to adjust to the course and hit the right shots to the right spots  ̶  and it can be costly if you risk too much. I would be great to bring here one of those important events combining the FedExCup and the Race to Dubai because there is such a love for golf in our country and because this course deserves it.”

After his Tuesday round, Rahm recalled Ian Poulter’s comment about scoring at Valderrama a few years ago.

“I don't dare to predict a winning score because I've been told that they want the greens to be harder during the tournament, and that will complicate things with the wind. I only know that if you make par on this course all four days, you will be top ten  ̶  and sometimes they've even won with that. If the wind is still strong and the greens harden, I would be surprised if the result is better than -5, but as I said in Madrid, I hope the winning score will be mine.”

The U.S. Open champion has had a year full of emotions and contrasts, including his consolidation as world number one and his triumph at Torrey Pines, but also his mishaps at the Memorial and the Olympic Games due to covid. His family has been a key support.

“It's been a year with a lot of good things and some drawbacks, and being a father has been the biggest help in overcoming them. I must to give all the credit to my wife Kelley because she always told me that as soon as I became a father I would win my first major, and she was right. She saw something in my personality that made her think that, and it's clearly helped me a lot. Even though I still care, as a competitor, about everything that happens on the course, if I am upset after a bad day, I look at him and it goes away. And I've always said that if you're good off the course, you're going to be good on the course. Golf is not everything, it’s an important part of my life, but it’s much more important to be a good person, a good father, a good friend.... And that's what I’ve realized this year.”

Reaching the top is still a daunting task, because it is difficult to get a foothold in the highly skilled competition in modern golf. Confidence and discipline are the two basic ingredients.

“The hardest part about being world number one is to stay there. Last year I got there and lost it after two weeks. But I think that it comes as a consequence of playing well. You just have to keep doing well, and that's why every time I tee it up I want to play well and to prove that I am number one.”

“I want to say two things to the kids watching this. If you think you're going to be number one like I did when I was a kid, say it, no matter what anyone tells you. Everyone who has ever been the best at something has believed it and made it public. Say that you believe it and work for it, which is the other fundamental part, because there are no tricks or anything special to be number one, it's about putting in a lot of hours of work and having a lot of determination to achieve your goals. This is not just for golf, it's for everything in life; if you want to be the best at something you need to work very hard and have a lot of discipline.”

Despite brimming with confidence and knowing from a very young age what his path to the top was going to be, Jon Rahm is not yet fully aware of the effect he is making around him, particularly in Spain.

“I'm not very aware of popularity; I only concentrate on my job on the golf course. Yesterday I had dinner with Aritz Aduriz and he prepared me for what Bilbao will be like when I go there in December. My way of thinking about myself hasn't changed, I'm the same kid from Barrika, but with the things I've done some more people will know me."

INSIDE THE ROPES

Jon Rahm’s favourite nicknames.

“I’ve had many nicknames in my life, but I never heard about the “Cantabrian Shark”. In the States it’s usually “Rahmbo” and I rather like the “Barrika Lion”.

Sergio Garcia's tips for Valderrama

Rahm himself has pointed out that there are no secrets to being world number one, but there are ideed secrets is at Valderrama. Sergio García, triple winner of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters is the one who knows them best.

“While I was with Sergio at the Ryder Cup we only talked about what we had in front of us, there was no time for Valderrama; but today, playing a few holes here, I thought I'd write to Sergio because I'm sure he can give me some advice. This is a course where every trick and every experience can help, because you have to learn how to play it and adapt your game to the course, even though everyone has their own style. There are always flags, greens or tees where some mistakes are better than others, like if you send it to the right on 16th you are lost; so the advice of someone like Sergio is always welcome. Obviously, when Sergio is hitting the ball well, there are very few in the world at his level from tee to green, so no wonder he has won here several times.”

Beach Clean Up

This EDAM 2021 Tuesday has started with the 'Beach Clean Up', with Santiago Tarrio and Alejandro Cañizares helping to clean the Torreguadiaro Beach along hundreds of volunteers. 230 kilos of rubbish were collected throughout the morning, and the first 200 volunteers who turned up received a ticket for the tournament. This experience is part of the European Tour's 'Green Drive' initiative and shows the environmental awareness of the San Roque Town Hall, the circuit itself and the rest of the entities involved in the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

Photo of the Spanish players

At around 16:00 the traditional photo of Spanish players was taken, an initiative created years ago by Mª Acacia López-Bachiller. The players enjoy this tradition that takes place in every tournament played in Spain. Although some were absent due to different training schedules, eight of the players in this week’s field were able to be present.

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, Quirónsalud, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, SO/ Sotogrande, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.

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.