Solidarity, awareness and action have been the key words for the large group of volunteers in response to the initiative promoted by the DP World Tour during the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. The event took place on the morning of the 12th October with the support of the San Roque Town Hall.

This was the second edition of the clean-up, led once again by Álvaro Quirós. The local star, together with Portuguese fellow professional Ricardo Santos, set the example of their love for nature and their environmental awareness.

Over 80 volunteers gathered on this beautiful spot of the Cádiz coast, including 25 youngsters who worked enthusiastically, proving that youth and commitment can go together. They all joined forces with Quirós and Santos side by side with the DP World Tour squad deployed in the area. In addition, two local representatives were attracted by the event: Juan Serván, Deputy Mayor and Delegate for the Environment of San Roque, and Óscar Ledesma, Deputy Mayor of the Valle del Guadiaro area, who praised the initiative and all the participants.

Álvaro Quirós went to the Torreguadiaro beach with his family and made it clear that he carries his homeland in his heart and wants to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters to call for more environmental awareness.

“I’m delighted to take part in this initiative. This is the beach where I grew up and where I now come with my kids, so this action has a little extra purpose because it’s so special to me,” explained the seven-time DP World Tour winner.

“Luckily, I’m not the only one; lots of people came today and it’s good to see that people care. A small gesture can make a big difference. Just one hour a year, as is unfortunately my case, costs nothing and can help a lot, although I must admit that the beach was pretty clean.”  

For yet another year, this initiative was a part of the DP World Tour Green Drive programme, created to promote social and environmental responsibility and to generate a positive impact on every tournament on the tour schedule.

The volunteers were rewarded for their efforts with Saturday or Sunday passes for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Real Club Valderrama, the best course in Spain according to the most reputable publications.

Enjoying this DP World Tour event is easy and you can acquire individual day tickets, weekend passes or season tickets at experiences.dpworldtour.com/edam or at Real Club Valderrama box office (credit or debit card payment required).

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 Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte of the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.

Spanish DP World Tour professionals Ángel Hidalgo and Jorge Campillo shared first-hand knowledge with a group of students from La Cañada Golf School, one of the leading Andalusian hotbeds of Spanish golf. The clinic was held within the framework of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters on the superb practice facilities of Real Club Valderrama. As promoter of this initiative, the Diputación de Cádiz was represented by its President, as well as Mayor of San Roque, Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix.

Both Ángel, second-round leader of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, and two-time DP World Tour winner Jorge Campillo marvelled at the skill and talent of their young pupils.

Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, joined by Ángel Gabino, Councillor for Sports, Ana Ruiz, Councillor for Tourism, and María Collado, Councillor for Events, took the opportunity to encourage the students of La Cañada to keep up the game, while he praised the efforts of the municipal school in bringing golf to the children and youngsters of the area and forging the character and competitive spirit of players who might eventually perform alongside their current idols. 

He also reminded them of the feat achieved at this same course 25 years ago, when the European Ryder Cup team led by Seve Ballesteros won the first edition ever played on Spanish soil. He added that Real Club Valderrama has established its status as one of the great international golf courses while showcasing the image of San Roque and its area to the world.

“Events such as the Estrella Damm NA Andalucía Masters highlight the quality of the sports facilities in our region, as well as its capacity to host top-tier events offering the best services and attention to our visitors,” he emphasized.

He also pointed out that promoting Cádiz as a prime destination for golf tourism is one of the objectives of the Diputación’s Tourism Board, and that, through the cooperation of public and private entities, the region has become an international reference point for golf.

In conclusion, he thanked the organisers, the DP World Tour and the Real Club Valderrama for their longstanding commitment to the region and wished best of luck to all the participants while encouraging them to visit the area.

Todos aquellos que quieran disfrutar del torneo tienen la posibilidad de adquirir entradas en edamgolf.es, con tarifas preferentes para federados y acceso gratuito para menores de 13 años. También es posible comprar dichas entradas en las taquillas del campo, con pago exclusivo con tarjeta de crédito o débito.

El Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, torneo del DP World Tour valedero para la Race to Dubai que se celebra gracias a la imprescindible colaboración del Real Club Valderrama, está patrocinado por Estrella Damm y la Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, además de estar cofinanciado con fondos europeos y haber sido declarado acontecimiento de excepcional interés público por el Gobierno de España. 

Barcelona’s Pep Anglés posted the best Spanish score on the opening round of the 8th edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters. His five-under round of 66 ties with Englishman David Horsey, Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen, Australian Min Woo Lee and Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond.

One shot behind the leaders, Adrián Otaegui was tied sixth on 67 (-4) after some brilliant iron play on his back nine. Two other Spaniards in the top ten, Sebastián García and Pablo Larrazábal, have met the tough Valderrama Challenge with rounds of 68 (-3).

Although the course was relatively benign on Thursday, it still is one of the big tests or the season and a player favourite, in words of Pep Anglés.

“There is always more of a love than a hate affair with this course. In my first professional appearance I was sharing the lead on Sunday and made a mess of it, but I love the place no matter how I play. Last year I nearly finished last, but I had a great time.”

Pep remains cautious despite his good start.

“I don’t expect much because I’m not playing well, so anything that comes along is welcome. When things get difficult, I must try to keep positive like today. I only made two of my last ten cuts, so I’m not daydreaming; I’m simply on a great course and in good company.”

Adrián Otaegui is delighted to be back on the iconic layout.

“This has been my best score here, but not my best ball striking. I like this course because it’s very demanding and par can be a good result many times.” 

Pablo Larrazábal, the best Spaniard in last year’s edition, has put in another good performance.

“I played smart, which is the thing to do on this course. This has been my best round from tee to green. It’s hard to make the putts but I managed three birdies on the last six holes, so very pleased.”

Pablo would relish tougher conditions along the week.

“The harder Valderrama plays, the better for me. I have Raúl on the bag and he knows the place better than anyone. You need to be long and straight around here and to miss smart ̶  that’s the sort of golf that suits me.”

No wonder this is his favourite event of the year.

“This is the course that I look forward to playing the most. We are extremely lucky to play in these conditions, and the fact that the members allow the course to be closed a week before the tournament is something to be very thankful for.”

Experience is priceless when facing this demanding layout, as Sebas García points out.

“Last year I found out that bogeys are ok, and that helps me relax. The first year I came I got beaten all over the place, but last year I learnt how to play it. It’s a matter of patience and realising that bogey is better than double bogey.”

INSIDE THE ROPES

Less fierce conditions

The opening day of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters was surprisingly mild compared with previous editions. The light easterly wind allowed 30 players to beat the course.

Hard luck for Pedro Oriol just before his tee time

As Pedro was warming up for his first round at the Estrella Damm N.A Andalucía Masters, the driver he has been playing with for the last five years broke.

“It was my favourite club, and it’s not nice to have that happen five minutes before teeing off. Luckily, I don’t need my driver many times in Valderrama, but I did miss it”. Despite the incident, Oriol carded a 73 with four painful bogeys at the end of an otherwise good round.

Andalusian Federation Merit Medals

The Royal Andalusian Golf Federation awarded the Medal for Sporting Merit to Álvaro Quirós, Miles Tunnicliff, José María Cañizares and Alejandro Cañizares. The presentation had to be postponed due to Covid 19 and has finally been held at the 2022 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

1997 Ryder Cup commemorative dinner

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1997 Ryder Cup, and Real Club Valderrama wanted to commemorate it with an institutional dinner attended by team member Nacho Garrido and Spanish Ryder Cup pioneer Manolo Piñero.

Nacho Garrido recalled the highlights of Europe’s emblematic victory under the captaincy of Seve Ballesteros.

Enjoying this DP World Tour event is easy and you can acquire individual day tickets, weekend passes or season tickets at experiences.dpworldtour.com/edam or at Real Club Valderrama box office (credit or debit card payment required).

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 Valderrama, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte of the Junta de Andalucía, jointly funded by the EU and was declared Event of Exceptional Public Interest by the Government of Spain.

To celebrate DP World’s smart partnership with the DP World Tour, the end-to-end logistics company is rewarding the smartest brotherly partnership in this week’s Andalucía Masters with a charity birdie pledge. Donating £100 per birdie and £500 per eagle to a charity of the winning partnerships choice.

DP World is making a pledge to donate money to charity for every eagle and birdie registered by the best performing pair of brothers at this week’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Real Club Valderrama, 13-16 October.

In the field are reigning US Open champion and the event’s defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex, as well as the impressive Danish twins Rasmus & Nicolai Højgaard.

DP World will make a charitable donation for every birdie and eagle scored by the pair of brothers that lodge the lowest combined score over the four days of play at Valderrama. The charity will be nominated by the winning pair of brothers at the conclusion of the event.

Reminded of the 13 birdies he registered on his way to victory at the same event last year, Matt Fitzpatrick said: “Hopefully I can do more this year! It’s even more important now that we get the added bonus for charity. Hopefully it’ll be a good week and me & my brother can make plenty of birdies and eagles. We’ll see what the total is at the end of the week.”

Meanwhile Alex Fitzpatrick reflected on his first season on the DP World Tour alongside his brother, having turned professional earlier this year: “It’s been great to play with Matt and have his support in my first season on the DP World Tour. He has obviously had success here, which could give our partnership the edge in in the DP World birdie pledge, so let’s see how we do against the Højgaard brothers by the end of the week.”  

Talking about the importance of smart partnerships, Nicolai Højgard said: “We support each other. We wait at the 18th green and support each other. I think that's important as well, that it's not just about who wins between us, it's that we support each other when we are doing good. And we’ve learned to do that over the years.”

Commenting on DP World’s charitable initiative, his brother Rasmus added: “It’s going to be amazing if we can win the smart partnership competition. I remember back in 2020, I won some money for charity for the first time, it’s probably one of the best feelings you can get.”

DP World and the DP World Tour are celebrating the first year of their ‘Smart Partnership’ with the first anniversary of the announcement falling on 9 November. In celebration of this, DP World will be rewarding the best performing ‘Smart Partnership’ this week.

The initial partnership announcement between DP World and the European Tour Group, represented a significant deal in terms of global sports partnerships, with DP World’s substantial commitment dedicated to three key areas: elevating the Tour in every way, growing the game of golf globally, and driving positive community impact.

DP World is the leading provider of worldwide smart end-to-end supply chain logistics, enabling the flow of trade across the globe. DP World’s comprehensive range of products and services covers every link of the integrated supply chain – from maritime and inland terminals to marine services and industrial parks as well as technology-driven customer solutions.

Find out more about DP World at www.dpworld.com