The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, a European Tour event that will take place from September 3-6 at the Real Club Valderrama, serves as the perfect example of the close and long-standing relationship that Andalusia and golf have had for decades.

With the sixth edition of this event at Valderrama, Andalucía have held 61 elite men’s professional tournaments, more than any other region in Continental Europe. From 1966, the most skilled golfers in the pro tours have played the best Andalusian courses in world-class events, including 21 Volvo Masters, 11 Andalusian Opens, 11 Spanish Opens, 6 Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, 3 Volvo World Match Play Championships, 3 World Cups, 2 World Golf Championships and the 1997 Ryder Cup as the icing on the cake. In that historic event, the first played in a Continental Europe course, the European team captained by the great, late Seve Ballesteros obtained an epic win and millions of spectators around the world could enjoy the best Andalucía could offer in terms of tourism and golf.

This sport, key for the Andalusian community as a tourist destination, is an integral part of the Junta’s strategy and a priority product in its promotional efforts. This is reflected in the fifteen specific actions launched throughout 2020 (specialized golf fairs, fam-trips and press-trips, professional meetings, direct promotions, actions with tourist boards and tourism marketing exchanges) with an 1,5 million euros investment.

In addition, golf serves as an ideal vehicle to communicate the many attractions of this community, since Andalusia's offer is characterized precisely by the great variety of tourist products that invite you to expand the golfing experience during any stay. Gastronomy, high-quality accommodations, health and wellness centers, entertainment, almost a thousand kilometers of coastline, the community with a greater extension of protected areas, snow... The list of merits is almost infinite and adds up to a perfect climate for golfing throughout the year.

Besides leading in Continental Europe as a host of pro events, Andalucía is also at the forefront as golf destination for amateurs. With more than a hundred golf courses (more than 20% of the Spanish courses), the region welcomed 560,000 golf tourists in 2017, most of them from UK, Germany, the Nordic countries and Spain, and the potential growth for this number is marked by the 3,7 million of registered golfers in those European markets.

However, when thinking about golf the Junta de Andalucía is no only thinking about tourists (whether national or foreign). This community intends to bring golf closer to any Andalusian who may be interested in playing and the promotion of public schools helped the sport reach the 44,000 registered golfers, only surpassed by Madrid at the national level. Thanks to the many initiatives launched in order to promote this sport among young people, women and families, important steps are still being taken to bring golf to any audience.

A great example is Álvaro Mueller-Baumgart Lucena, a young amateur player coming from the Real Club de Golf de Guadalmina, one of the top Andalusian golfing hotbeds. Mueller-Baumgart will play the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters along with other two illustrious Andalusian golfers, Álvaro Quirós and Alejandro Cañizares from September 3-6. Once again, this tournament will show the outstanding Andalusian offer through its worldwide television broadcast to more than 400 million households.

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 Spanish Government. This tournament is also supported by Rolex, Exterior Plus, Santander Private Banking and Shell. Callaway, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, Grupo Raga, Kyocera, Marca, Maui Jim, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.

35 years since its foundation and 25 individual events of the European Tour held on its pristine course. With this simple sentence we could summarize the history of the venue for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters, the event that will take place from September 3-6, but numbers fall short when trying to convey the meaning of the Real Club Valderrama for Andalusian, Spanish and European golf.

Valderrama was founded in 1985 thanks to the efforts and vision of Jaime Ortiz Patiño, who hired top designer Robert Trent Jones Sr to renovate the old Las Aves course and the surrounding land with the intention of creating the best golf course in continental Europe. Valderrama debuted as a European Tour venue soon after that, since in 1988 it held the Volvo Masters, an elite field event that brought the curtain down on the European Tour season.

Taking a quick look at its winner list (from Sir Nick Faldo, its first champion, to world-class golfers such as Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, among others) it’s easy to understand its importance. On the fairways and greens of Valderrama, unforgettable moments such as Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie's draw in 2002, Miguel Ángel Jiménez's albatross in 1994 or the exciting playoffs between Ian Poulter and Sergio García in 2004 or Fredrik Jacobson with Carlos Rodiles the previous year. In total, 16 Volvo Masters in which the Real Club Valderrama acted as a fair but demanding judge.

After being elevated to a well-deserved glory and gaining international prominence thanks to the 1997 Ryder Cup in which Seve Ballesteros captained the European team to victory, the Sotogrande club hosted another key event on the international schedule, the WGC American Express Championship. The field, again, was outstanding. In 1999, the number one in the world, Tiger Woods, needed a playoff to beat a tough rival carried by the cheering locals, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, while in 2000 Mike Weir, a Masters winner, conquered the title.

The Andalucía Masters, currently sponsored by Estrella Damm and the Junta de Andalucía, followed up with the great tradition of elite tournaments at Valderrama and Graeme McDowell, who had won the 2010 US Open winner, beat the field that year. Golf fans had to wait until 2011 for the first Spanish victory at Real Club Valderrama when Sergio García managed to overcome the resistance of Miguel Ángel Jiménez.

In 2016 the Open de España took over and the field faced a course that, as always, made no concessions. This time, fan-favourite Andrew Johnston won the title but could not beat Valderrama because he finished over par, something that had not happened since Sandy Lyle won with +3 in the 1992 Volvo Masters.

In the following two years, Sergio García continued his love affair with Real Club Valderrama by winning two consecutive Andalucía Masters titles, becoming the first player to obtain three individual victories at Valderrama. The Borriol golfer accumulates 14 top ten in 15 appearances at Valderrama (2 in the WGC American Express Championship, 7 in the Volvo Masters and 5 in the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters), an impressive record.

In 2019 the South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout broke Sergio García’s streak and managed to hold off the assault of the many Spanish players fighting for the title, since five Spaniards finished in the top 7 of the event.

The 2020 winner, therefore, will have the honor of being crowned in the 25th European Tour event played at Valderrama. Without a question, he will be a worthy heir to the tradition that so many illustrious international champions have written with their talent in one of the best courses in the world.

REAL CLUB VALDERRAMA PALMARÉS / PAST WINNERS

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 Spanish Government. This tournament is also supported by Rolex, Exterior Plus, Santander Private Banking and Shell. Callaway, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, Grupo Raga, Kyocera, Marca, Maui Jim, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.

Ryder Cup heroes Thomas Bjørn and Lee Westwood will return to the scene of their debuts in the biennial contest when they tee it up in the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters from September 3 – 6.

The pair made their Ryder Cup bows at Real Club Valderrama in 1997, when Europe - captained by the late, great Seve Ballesteros- retained the coveted trophy with a 14½ - 13½ victory over the United States.

Between them they contributed 3.5 points to the European cause, as Westwood earned two points alongside Nick Faldo in the foursomes and four-ball matches, and Bjørn added a half in the Sunday singles against Justin Leonard to the point he won with Ian Woosnam against Leonard and Brad Faxon.

Westwood is bidding for a European record-equalling 11th Ryder Cup appearance at Whistling Straits next year. The former World Number One is currently third on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex after his victory at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA in January.

“There isn’t much you can say about Valderrama that hasn’t already been said,” said Westwood. “It’s a fantastic golf course, and 1997 was very special because I made my Ryder Cup debut there and then won the Volvo Masters a few weeks later.

“It is an incredible test of golf, and it’s testament to Robert Trent Jones’ design that it has remained unchanged over the last 30 years. It’s a course that we all enjoy playing, and it’s great to see how this tournament has developed over the last four years.”

His close friend Bjørn is also looking forward to returning to the venue where his Ryder Cup journey began, culminating in his victorious captaincy two years ago at Le Golf National, Paris.

“Valderrama is an excellent golf course, and a test which we all enjoy returning to,” said the 15-time European Tour winner. “To make my Ryder Cup debut in a side captained by Seve, in his home country, and at a world-class venue, was incredibly special.”

Joining them on the famous fairways of Real Club Valderrama will be former World Number One and two-time Major Champion Martin Kaymer and seven-time European Tour winner Bernd Wiesberger. Wiesberger enjoyed a career-best year in 2019 as he won three times in the same season.

The Austrian won Made in Denmark and then two Rolex Series titles at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and Italian Open en route to a career-high third on the Race to Dubai Rankings Presented by Rolex.

At the 2017 Andalucía Masters, Kaymer said of Real Club Valderrama: “If there is one course I can play for the rest of my life it would be Valderrama – it’s so pretty. But you should never underestimate this golf course. It is a tricky golf course that you need a lot of respect for. The greens are very small so it is all about ball striking – it is never going to be a putting competition. You have to be very strategic and I really enjoy that. I’ve done well here in the past too, so those are all good reasons to come back.”

Bjørn, Kaymer and Westwood are a trio of ten former Ryder Cup players who will be teeing it up at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

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 Spanish Government. This tournament is also supported by Rolex, Exterior Plus, Santander Private Banking and Shell. Callaway, Coca-Cola, Enterprise, Grupo Raga, Kyocera, Marca, Maui Jim, the Real Federación Andaluza de Golf, Riversa, Varma and Volvo are official suppliers.

Jorge Campillo and Pablo Larrazábal will lead the Spanish charge when the European Tour returns to Valderrama for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters from September 3-6.

The pair have already tasted success on the Race to Dubai this season, with Larrazábal winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship last November and Campillo earning his second European Tour title at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Campillo finished in a share of eighth at the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor last week while Larrazábal has made the cut in each of the four events he has played since the 2020 Race to Dubai resumed at the Betfred British Masters.

With both players currently inside the top 25 on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, they will lead a strong home contingent on one of the continent’s most famous golf courses, Real Club Valderrama, which hosted The Ryder Cup in 1997.

A member of that Ryder Cup side 23 years ago, captained by the late, great Seve Ballesteros, José Maríá Olazabál will return to where he won the second of three Ryder Cup matches as a player.

Also set to fly the flag for Spain are Adri Arnaus, Alejandro Cañizares, Emilio Cuartero, Eduardo De La Riva, Samuel Del Val, Nacho Elvira, Gonzalo Fdez- Castaño, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, Pedro Oriol, Adrian Otaegui, Carlos Pigem and Alvaro Quiros.

Spaniard Eduard Rousaud will use the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters as an opportunity to tune up ahead of the U.S. Open at Winged Foot next month. As one of the top five golfers on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Rousaud is exempt for the second Major Championship of the 2020 season. Fellow amateur Alvaro Mueller-Baumgart is currently 13^th on the WAGR.

The Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters marks the European Tour’s return to continental Europe since the resumption of the 2020 Race to Dubai, which restarted at the Betfred British Masters last month. The event is also the first of the three-week Iberian Swing, preceding two successive weeks in Portugal.