Golf is a sport in which symbols are paramount, but this does not mean that it turns its back on modernity. Both professionals and amateurs are aware of the power of certain trophies (for example, the claret jug from the Open Championship or the green jacket awarded at the Masters), which are a permanent fixture in the mind of every self-respecting golfer. In the same way, the victories achieved in the most exclusive settings, such as the courses in the Open Championship rota, the most important venues of the U. S. Open, or jewels such as the Real Club Valderrama, have an additional significance in the list of winners and in the memories of those who achieve them. That is why a victory at Real Club Valderrama is such a prized and sought-after prize, especially for Spanish golfers. That's why Jon Rahm and the rest of the Armada have marked the dates between October 14-17, when the next Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters will be held, on their calendars.
The jewel promoted by Jaime Ortiz Patiño in Sotogrande, however, resisted the Spaniards for a long time. Three years after its inauguration it hosted the Volvo Masters, the historic closing event of the European Tour schedule, but luck did not smile on the Spanish professionals. In the first edition, in 1988, Seve Ballesteros came close to victory, which Nick Faldo finally got. After that, the ace from Pedreña, José María Olazábal, José Rivero and Miguel Ángel Jiménez fought for the title on numerous occasions in a tournament that was played 16 times at Valderrama. In 1999, Jiménez also fought in the American Express Championship, in which the golfer from Churriana finished second only to the stellar Tiger Woods after a thrilling playoff.
Subsequently, and without forgetting Carlos Rodiles' second place in the 2003 Volvo Masters and the repeated attempts by José María Olazábal and Miguel Ángel Jiménez to win the title in that tournament, Sergio García took over on what he has always considered his favourite course. The golfer from Borriol has 14 top tens (two at the American Express Championship, six at the Volvo Masters, one at the Open de España and five at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters) in the 15 European Tour tournaments he has played at Valderrama, and he also holds the record of being the first golfer to win three individual events at this course (the 2011, 2017 and 2018 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, known as the Andalucía Valderrama Masters until 2019).
The titles won at the Real Club Valderrama, a demanding judge, came always against top-class opponents. After battling with Graeme McDowell, champion in the 2010 edition, García managed in 2011 to translate his taste for the Cadiz course into victory in an intense duel with Miguel Ángel Jiménez, which culminated in a celebration that is still remembered today. In 2016 came his third place at the Spanish Open, also played at Valderrama, just two strokes behind Andrew "Beef" Johnston, a prelude to the titles he won in 2017 and 2018, holding off Joost Luiten and Shane Lowry, respectively.
After playing his first tournament as a professional in Spain at Valderrama in 2017, Jon Rahm came into the 2019 edition eager to take on the challenge of Robert Trent Jones' design again and fought off South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the winner on that occasion, right to the end. Rahm finished second tied with Spaniards Adri Arnaus, Alvaro Quiros and Eduardo de la Riva and Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera, while the inevitable Sergio Garcia signed a new top ten on the San Roque course to finish seventh.
The world number one's logical goal at the 2021 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters: to climb a place on the podium and join Ryder Cup partner Sergio García as the second Spanish winner at Real Club Valderrama.
"Ian Poulter gave me some good advice and that is that four rounds under par at Valderrama is a top 10. The difficulty at Valderrama is from tee to green, although the greens are also like those at Augusta because of how true the ball rolls. They are spectacular. Thank God we have courses like this, short courses where the drive doesn't come into play so much," said Jon Rahm on his visit to the tournament in 2019.
It is worth remembering that the origin of the Barrika-born golfer's career is also in Valderrama, as some of his father's friends were at the 1997 Ryder Cup, encouraged him to play and the whole Rahm family ended up signing up for Eduardo Celles' school. It is not the only fond memory Rahm has of the Sotogrande course.
"In 2007 I went to a Volvo Masters and got my shirt signed by Stenson and Casey. The first shot I saw was Thomas Bjorn's bunker shot on the 7th and I also saw Ian Poulter. Those are four players I've shared the Ryder Cup with since. If soomebody had told me then, I wouldn't have believed it.
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, Rolex y Santander Private Banking. Callaway, Cinco Jotas, Enterprise, Gadira, Grupo Raga, Kyocera, La Reserva Club Sotogrande, Marca, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.
