European Tour

Open de Andalucía: Aloha (Marbella) – 15-18 March

Open de España: Real Club de Golf de Sevilla – 3-6 May

Volvo World Match Play Championship: Finca Cortesín (Casares) – 17-20 May

Madrid Masters: Venue TBC – 20-23 September

Andalucía Masters: Venue TBC – and 18-21 October

Ladies European Tour

Open de España Femenino: Venue TBC – 20-23 September

European Senior Tour

Benahavís Senior Masters: La Quinta – 1-3 June

Spanish contingent in confident mood... (Photo: Fernando Herranz)

SEVE BALLESTROS went close in 1988. The late Spanish star finished second two shots behind Nick Faldo in the inaugural Volvo Masters at Valderrama.

Six years later, he was again second, a bogey on the last hole leaving him one short of Bernhard Langer’s winning score and level with Vijay Singh. Miguel Ángel Jiménez was fourth that same year, having opened with a six-under 65 that included the first albatross carded in competition on Valderrama’s notorious 17th hole.

José María Olazábal finished third in 1989, five behind winner Ronan Rafferty. A decade later, Jiménez became the only Spaniard to win the Volvo Masters, but it had been moved to Montecastillo in Jerez, as Valderrama focused on more important matters (1997 Ryder Cup and 1999 and 2000 American Express World Golf Championship).

Back at Valderrama one week later he was level with Tiger Woods after the 72 regulation holes of the 1999 WGC event but succumbed on the first extra hole of sudden-death.

Hapless Carlos Rodiles loses aim on Tour

In 2003, Carlos Rodiles was just as close, losing on the first hole of a play-off against Fredrik Jacobsen for the Volvo Masters title at Valderrama. He has never really recovered from that setback. This year he has played in only four European Tour events (three missed cuts and 16th in the Bankia Madrid Masters), failed to make the cut in three out of four Challenge Tour starts, and has slumped to a world ranking of 975. His chance to redeem himself at Valderrama will have to wait at least another year.

Then it was Sergio García’s turn to suffer Valderrama angst: he lost a play-off against Paul Casey for the 2004 Volvo Masters title, was second by two shots behind Paul McGinley in 2005, and was joint runner-up with Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington in 2006, one shot adrift of Jeev Mikha Singh.

Olazábal and Ignacio Garrido were members and Jiménez non-playing vice captain of the European team that captain Ballesteros led to victory in the 1997 Ryder Cup – but that doesn’t really count. The bottom line is that no Spanish player has won an individual strokeplay title at Valderrama since its European Tour coming out in 1988.

Last year, in the inaugural Andalucía Valderrama Masters (the 21st and final Volvo Masters – 16 at Valderrama and five at Montecastillo – was held in 2008), the best-placed Spaniard was Jiménez (joint seventh), while García and Olazábal shared 10th place.

Now, in the 20th European Tour event held at the celebrated course, this season simply the Andalucía Masters, 14 Spaniards in a field of 96 will be attempting to overcome the Valderrama hoodoo.

“Valderrama is an unforgiving course and you need to hit great shots with all the clubs in the bag,” said Jiménez on the eve of the tournament. “I’m striking the ball great, but not scoring my best. I haven’t had a win yet this season so it’s high time to start.” His last Tour win was the Omega European Masters in Switzerland in September 2010.

Castelló Masters triumph for Sergio García

Buoyed by his 11-stroke victory in last week’s Castelló Masters, Sergio García is favourite to break his duck at Valderrama. “I’m delighted with my win at Castellón,” he said. “It’s been a great boost to my confidence. I love Valderrama. I’ve been three times runner-up on this course, and that really spurs me to try harder. I would love to win an event like the Andalucía Masters. I’m happy with my ball striking, although there’s always room for improvement.”

Also returning to form in Castellón after months of injury problems was Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, whose last Tour win was in the 2008 Insurance British Masters. “I feel pretty confident before this tournament, particularly because I did well last week,” he said. “Playing well at Castellón lifted a load off my shoulders. I needed to prove myself, and now I feel that I am really back on track. Having spent six months injured, it was great to finish second last week. We Spanish pros are like a big family with a great atmosphere. We enjoy travelling together. Every year we take this group photo at Valderrama and I keep them all as a nice souvenir.”

Álvaro Quirós, from the nearby village of Guadiaro and winner of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February, will have plenty of local support. “When you play so close to home it’s very special,” he said. “My family and a big bunch of friends will come to watch and support me, and I would hate to disappoint them. Hopefully things will turn out better this year.”

José María Olazabal not too serious about chances (Photo: Fernando Herranz)

Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal has not won since the 2005 Mallorca Classic and admitted his form would need to improve if he were to get into contention this week. “It’s always very special to come Valderrama, but I expect a tough tournament and I’m not playing well,” he said. “This course is very challenging and we have a strong field with (defending champion Graeme) McDowell, Sergio, and all the rest. Sergio’s win was sensational with such a fantastic score – it will mean a great step forward for him. Obviously Valderrama is an added motivation because of all the great tournaments played here. I shall never forget the ‘97 Ryder Cup under Seve. It was a very, very special week and I will treasure those moments forever.”

The other Spaniards in the field are 2011 BMW International Open champion Pablo Larrazábal (he beat García in a six-hole play-off in Germany), Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Santiago Luna, Carlos del Moral, Alejandro Cañizares, Ignacio Garrido, Manuel Quirós, Carl Suneson, Álvaro Velasco.

The field has been weakened slightly by the absence of top players competing in the 30-man Shanghai Masters, where the winner will receive a cheque for $2 million out of the total $5 million purse, though no world ranking points as the event is not sanctioned by any of the official tours. They include Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Padraig Harrington, and 2011 Volvo World Match Play champion (at Finca Cortesín) Ian Poulter.

There are, however, several 2011 European Tour champions in the field: Martin Kaymer, the highest world-ranked player (seventh) teeing up at Valderrama (winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January); three-time 2011 winner Thomas Bjorn (Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles and Omega European Masters); dual winner Alexander Noren (Saab Wales Open and Nordea Masters); Raphaël Jacquelin (Sicilian Open), David Horsey (Trophée Hassan II in Morocco), Nicolas Colsaerts (Volvo China Open), Mateo Manassero (Maybank Malaysian Open), Thomas Aiken (Open de España in Barcelona), Robert Rock (BMW Italian Open), Thomas Levet (Alstom Open de France), Kenneth Ferrie (Austrian GolfOpen).

Graeme McDowell will be attempting to win his first title since last year’s Andalucía Valderrama Masters; while also hoping to end their 2011 drought are brothers Francesco and Eduardo Molinari, Peter Hanson (winner of the 2005 Open de España at nearby San Roque) and Ross Fisher (2010 Volvo World Match Play champion at Finca Cortesín).

Former Volvo Masters champions (at Valderrama) in the field are Paul McGinley (2005), Justin Rose (2007) and Søren Kjeldsen (68th) (2008).

RACE TO DUBAI

The Andalucía Masters is the last opportunity in Europe for players to improve their positions in the Race to Dubai before the Tour moves to Asia, South Africa and the Middle East. Only the top 60 on the order of merit will gain a place in the season grand finale, the $7.5 million Dubai World Championship in December.

War of Attrition (2010)

RESULTS: García wins Spanish dual against Jiménez

(Photos: Fernando Herranz)

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Photo: Volvo in Golf)

By PEDRO BOLICHERO

IT HADN’T REQUIRED too healthy a dose of scepticism in recent years to look at the World Match Play Championship as something of a misnomer. In its 44-year history at the Wentworth it had produced a stellar roll-call of champions – but the fields gradually diminished to, in some cases, almost a second tier of the world’s best.

Even in 2009 when the championship was resurrected by Volvo after a year’s hiatus and moved to Finca Cortesín in Casares (at the western end of the Costa del Sol), several of the players receiving invitations must have thought Christmas had come early (it was October) as they teed up for a €2 million-plus prize fund, enjoyed a luxurious stay with their families at the resort and could, if they won, commandeer bragging rights as “world champion” (albeit somewhat dubiously).

Amigos in Casares: Álvaro Quirós, Lee Westwood, Miguel Ángel Jiménez (Photo: Volvo in Golf)

This year, with the tournament moving to a new date (19-22 May), the no doubt relieved organisers have enjoyed claiming it has “the strongest field in the history of the Volvo World Match Play Championship”.

There may be an element of hyperbole there but also some justification: all four reigning Grand Slam champions are in the field (Graeme McDowell, 2010 US Open; Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 British Open; Martin Kaymer, 2010 US PGA Championship; and Charl Schwartzel, 2011 US Masters); as well as the three top players in the official world ranking (1 Lee Westwood, 2 Luke Donald and 3 Kaymer) and six of the leading 10 (5 McDowell, 6 Rory McIlroy and 9 Paul Casey).

Australian Aaron Baddeley (Photo: Volvo in Golf)

On the downside, notable absences include Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar – ranked fourth, seventh, eighth and 10th, respectively. In fact, the only US player in the field is Ryan Moore, ranked 39th; while the sole Australian is 50th-ranked Aaron Baddeley (leapfrogging Adam Scott, Jason Day, Geoff Ogilvy and Robert Allenby, though he is a winner on this year’s US PGA Tour). Furthermore, defending champion Ross Fisher has just one top-10 European Tour finish this season.

But those issues can be overlooked, shaded by the progress made since the first Volvo World Match Play at Finca Cortesín in 2009. There are, for example, three other former major champions in the 2011 field: Retief Goosen (2001 and 2004 US Open), Paul Lawrie (1999 British Open) and Y.E. Yang (2009 US PGA).

The rest of the field comprises two additional 2011 European Tour winners, Álvaro Quirós (Dubai Desert Classic) and Nicolas Colsaerts (Volvo China Open); Søren Kjeldsen (winner of the final Volvo Masters, at Valderrama in 2008); local Málaga favourite Miguel Ángel Jiménez (gaining a place in the field after Robert Karlsson, as winner of the 2010 Dubai World Championship, withdrew); Fransesco Molinari; Johan Edfors; Jhonattan Vegas, the Venezuelan rookie who won his first US Tour title in January; Korean wunderkind Seung-yul Noh; and Anders Hansen.

The 24 players have been divided into eight round-robin groups of three players (according to their world rankings) to play each other on Thursday and Friday. Sixteen players will qualify for the knock-out quarter-finals on Saturday; and the semi-finals and final will be played on Sunday.

FULL DRAW: volvoworldmatchplay.com

RESULTS: Poulter beats Donald in final

 

 

(Photo: Volvo-Getty)

THE PLAYER who did more than any other to raise golf’s profile in Spain has died at his Pedreña home after a valiant battle against the debilitating effects of a brain tumour.

In a press statement released by his family, it was announced that he had passed away at 2.10 am (Spanish time) “peacefully surrounded by his family”.

(Photo: Jorge Andréu)

The family said they were “very grateful for all the support and gestures of love that have been received since Seve was diagnosed with a brain tumour on 5 October 2008 at Madrid Hospital La Paz.” The day before, they had announced that the 54-year-old’s “neurological condition has suffered a severe deterioration”.

When José María Olazábal and Miguel Ángel Jiménez – competing in the second round of the Open de España at El Prat in Cataluña, were informed of this they reportedly broke down in tears and were unable to speak.

Open de España spokeswoman María Acacia López-Bachiller told Associated Press, “We tried to talk to them after their rounds but they couldn’t even speak because they were crying. They couldn’t even talk. This had to be the saddest competition in terms of ambience today. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

(Photo: Jorge Andréu)

Other players on the US PGA and Champions Tours added their tributes.

Nick Price said, “He did for European golf what Tiger Woods did for worldwide golf. The European Tour would not be where it is today if not for Seve Ballesteros. The guy, he was an icon, just an incredible golfer. I always said most of us could shoot 65 about 30 to 40 different ways. He had about 10,000 ways of shooting 65.”

A tearful Paul Casey said, “He really blazed the trail for Europeans, not only in the Ryder Cup, but also on the PGA Tour in how he played at Augusta and his victories over here. We owe a huge amount to him.”

Sergio García added, “He was a game-changer, not only for Europe, but for golf itself when he came out. Obviously, there was Jack and Arnie and all those guys, but he played differently. To be able to come from Spain and do what he did, it was something amazing.”

“He had a remarkable effect on us,” said Padraig Harrington. “That’s why we wanted to play golf.”

With the king's late father, the Conde de Barcelona, at Novo Sancti Petri - the first course Seve designed in Spain. (Photo: OzinSpain.com)

Recalling Seve’s last Ryder Cup match in 1995 at Oak Hill, his opponent in the singles that day, Tom Lehman, said the Spaniard had not hit a single fairway on the front nine but remained in the match and eventually only lost on the 15th.

“Nobody could have done it form the places that he hit it. It’s the best nine holes of golf I’ve ever seen, that front nine. He shot even par. I would have shot probably nine-over. I think his body language was the strongest of anybody, maybe save Tiger in recent years. I’ve always said that his body language said, ‘Hey, I may have hit a really crappy shot right there, but if you miss this next one, you’ll miss the greatest shot ever hit.’ That’s just the way he walked, the way he acted, the way he carried himself. He never seemed to ever doubt his ability.”

Players at El Prat asked if they could wear black ribbons during the third round of the Open de España, and it was announced there would be a minute’s silence at 2.45 pm and the flags would be at half-mast.

European Tour chief executive George O’Grady said, “This is such a very sad day for all who love golf. Seve’s unique legacy must be the inspiration he has given to so many to watch, support and play golf, and finally to fight a cruel illness with equal flair, passion and fierce determination. We have all been so blessed to live in his era. He was the inspiration behind the European Tour.”

Ballesteros won 87 titles worldwide during his career, including three British Opens (1979, 1984 and 1988) and two US Masters (1980 and 1983). He played in eight Ryder Cups, winning 20 points from 37 matches, and captained Europe to victory against the Americans in 1997 at Valderrama – the first time the competition had been held outside the UK or the US.

He was the second world number one (after Bernhard Langer) when the official world rankings were launched in 1986, holding top place for a total of 61 weeks during his early career; and headed the European Tour order of merit five times.

Seve appeared in public for the first time following the surgery, in May 2009, receiving a standing ovation when he went to watch his local football team Racing Santander. He had called his battle against the tumour the “hardest challenge of my life” but also remained ubeat under the circumstances, referring to being given the “mulligan of my life”.

He underwent four operations to remove the tumour and reduce swelling in his skull, as well as chemotherapy. He made various public appearances in 2009, looking thin and pale, but had rarely been seen in public since March 2010, when he fell off a golf cart and hit his head on the ground.

During this time, he focused his efforts on promoting the Seve Ballesteros Foundation in its fight against cancer.

Born on 9 April 1957, of humble origins – his father was a greenkeeper during an era when golf was still considered an elite pursuit in Spain – he honed his skills near his Pedreña (Santander) home, at seven years using a cut-down seven-iron to hit stones on the beach.

He won a caddies tournament at 12, with a score of 79; and while still a teenager finished second in the 1976 British Open. Three years later, he became the youngest winner of the British Open; a feat he matched in the 1980 US Masters (before a 21-year-old Tiger Woods beat his record by two years). He was the first European winner of the Masters.

Seve was divorced from his childhood sweetheart, Carmen (of the Botín family that owns Banco Santander), in 2004 after a 16-year marriage. They had three children, Baldomero (1990), Miguel (1992) and Carmen (1994). Their relationship deteriorated irrevocably in the late 1990s, when it was said he was unable to accept that his career was on the wane.

Early in July 2007 he denied reports that he had tried to commit suicide following the death of a close female friend in a car accident. He officially retired on 16 July 2007 after a long struggle with recurring back pain, concentrating on his business interests through Amen Corner , the tournament promotion company he and his three fellow golf pro brothers set up in 1986.

“I no longer have the desire and I am no longer willing to give away the things I did before,” he said at the time. “I gave away all my teenage years and fought day and night to give my all and focus 100 per cent on my golf game.”

Rather poignantly, bearing in mind the tragedy of his last three years, he added, “I have a number of good years ahead of me and want to spend some time with my three children and friends and family.”

Unlike other contemporaries, he was denied the chance of competing on the seniors tours and further embellishing the Seve legend.

Arnold Palmer – the inaugural winner in 1964 (Photo: IMG)

Ross Fisher

This year, when the championship returns to Finca Cortesín, in the Costa del Sol municipality of Casares, 24 of the world’s top players will be teeing up for a winner’s share of €800,000 out of a €3.4 million prize fund.

Most of the biggest names in golf have won the championship, played continuously at Wentworth from that first edition up to 2007, including: Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, David Graham, Severiano Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh… (Tiger Woods was beaten in the 1998 final by Mark O’Meara.)

Ian Poulter

Francesco Molinari

During the latter years at Wentworth, however, the tournament’s prestige flagged as most of the top players, particularly the Americans, declined invitations and the WGC World Match Play attracted much stronger fields.

The tournament was not held in 2008, for the first time in its history, then Volvo – which had sponsored the Volvo Masters at Valderrama and Montecastillo for the previous 21 years – signed on with IMG and took the event to Finca Cortesín.

Graeme McDowell

Martin Kaymer

Paul Casey

The 2009 field was, to be brutally frank, fairly underwhelming for an event of such pedigree, with only two Grand Slam champions (Angel Cabrera and Retief Goosen); Paul Casey the highest world ranked player (fourth); just three others from the top 10 (Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Sergio García); and Ross Fisher (ranked 26th in the world) beating Anthony Kim (23rd) in the final.

A serious re-think was required and the Volvo team – to their credit – came up with a new plan. They convinced the European Tour to move the event to “a date it properly deserves” (19-22 May – one week before the PGA Championship at Wentworth); increased the field from 16 to 24 players; changed the qualifying criteria; and revamped the format (meaning 16 players will still be in the hunt on the weekend, unlike the rather paltry and spectator-unfriendly four in 2009).

YE Yang

Robert Karlsson

Whether by design or good fortune (European players are currently dominating the game at an international level) the plan has already reaped excellent results.

Lee Westwood

Rory McIlroy

As Volvo proudly noted at a press conference at Finca Cortesín, 13 players have qualified for the 2011 edition so far, and all 13 have accepted their invitations. They are: Ross Fisher (as defending champion); YE Yang (2010 Volvo China Open winner); Graeme McDowell and Søren Kjeldsen (first and second, respectively, in the 2010 Andalucía Valderrama Masters); Robert Karlsson (winner of the 2010 Dubai World Championship); Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Francesco Molinari (top four players, not otherwise exempt, from the 2010 European Tour Race to Dubai final standings); Rory McIlroy (leading player, not otherwise exempt, from the 2011 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship – he finished second behind Kaymer); Paul Casey (winner of the 2011 Volvo Golf Champions); and Paul Lawrie and Johan Edfors (champion and runner-up. respectively, of the 2011 Open de Andalucía).

Søren Kjeldsen

The other players to qualify after the US Masters will be: one player, based on his nationality, from each of four regions (Europe/Africa/Middle East; North America/South America; Asia; and Australasia); the leading player, not otherwise exempt, from the world ranking; and the two leading players, not otherwise exempt, from the Race to Dubai. They will then be joined by the leading player, not otherwise exempt, from the 2011 Volvo China Open; and one sponsor’s invitation from the top 50 of the world ranking.

The field currently comprises the top two ranked players in the world (Kaymer and Westwood), plus third-placed Luke Donald if, as expected, he qualifies and, as an IMG client, accepts the invitation; and three other players from the top 10 (McDowell, Casey and McIlroy). It also includes four winners of major championships (Lawrie, Yang, McDowell and Kaymer).

The “champions league-style” format, a novelty at the time, was well-received in 2009 but found wanting as interest waned on the weekend. This time, there will be eight groups of three players, with two from each group progressing to the knock-out stages on the Saturday. The quarter-finals will then be held in the afternoon; and the semi-finals and final on the Sunday, with no play-off for third and fourth. All matches will be 18 holes of traditional match play.

Volvo World Match Play Championship

IT HAD BEEN a long and frustrating nine years, but Paul Lawrie finally made it back onto the European Tour winner’s podium with a scrambling victory in the Open de Andalucía by Turkish Airlines at Parador Málaga de Golf.

After winning the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie, the Scot had a nondescript 2000 before returning to winning form with victories in the 2001 and 2002 Wales Opens and 2001 Dunhill Links Championship, but then a long drought set in. He languished in 140th place on the final 2004 money list and was never higher than 40th (2008) as he fought his way back to the top echelons, accumulating six runner-up finishes along the way.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez

Coming into the 2011 Open de Andalucía, he was a lowly 272nd in the World Golf Ranking but he held his nerve after a shaky start (bogeys on the first two holes and another on the fifth) to card four birdies on the back nine and have the luxury of bogeying the 18th for a 12-under 268 and a one-stroke victory over Swede Johan Edfors.

The victory elevated him to 150th in the world ranking and 24th in the European Tour Race to Dubai with just over €200,000 in prizemoney for 2011 (swelled by his €166,660 cheque in Málaga). It was his seventh Tour title: he also won the 1996 Catalan Open and 1999 Qatar Masters.

Later, he said, “It’s been a long time – 2002 seems a hell of a time ago. I’ve had a few second places in there, but all of a sudden we’re there again. It was going pear-shaped a little bit, but you’ve just got to keep going – that’s all you can do. I played lovely and the putter behaved better. I got on a nice run at the right time. I started hitting beautiful shots on the back nine… I must say that I felt under control even when I was above par at the start, and when you get into that attitude good things happen. I’ve always been a good putter, but these last years I couldn’t get it into the hole. This week they went in.”

Both Lawrie and Edfors won a place in the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesín in May.

FIRST ROUND: Rock and a hard place

Rikard Karlberg

Five players shared the lead on five-under 65s after the first round: 33-year-old Robert Rock, still seeking his first European Tour win as he closed in on 200 career starts; fellow Englishman Jamie Elson; and Swedes Johan Edfors, Oscar Floren and Rikard Karlberg.

Rock has been runner-up three times on the Tour, and actually collected a first-place cheque in the 2009 Irish Open as the winner, Shane Lowry (who finished at the bottom of this year’s Open de Andalucía field), was still an amateur.

Thirty-year-old Elson, the son of 1973 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Pip Elson, was on the same winning Walker Cup team (Great Britain and Ireland versus the US) as Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald 10 years ago, but is still seeking his first Tour win and, without a full card, only got into the Parador field thanks to a top-10 finish the week before in Sicily.

Robert Rock

Edfors’ three Tour wins all came in 2006; Floren graduated from last year’s Challenge Tour; and Karlberg received an invitation from tournament promoter Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who thought it was “a shame” that the Swede had finished third in the Singapore Open last November, earning over €240,000, which would have put him close to the top 100 at the end of the main tour season if he had qualified to play in enough events.

SECOND ROUND: Veterans bid adios

Gabriel Cañizares

With more than 20 players separated by just four strokes at the halfway stage, and those making the cut by the minimum margin (one-under) only seven strokes back from the leaders, the weekend shaped up as a particularly enthralling one.

Two-time Asian Tour champion and 2010 Asian rookie of the year Rikard Karlberg maintained a share of the lead on eight-under with Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl (winner of the 2009 Wales Open) and Maarten Lafeber (whose only Tour victory was his home Dutch Open in 2003).

Paul Lawrie was one shot back together with Elson and five-time Japanese Tour winner Tetsuji Hiratsuka – like Karlberg, a tournament invitee. England’s 50-year-old Barry Lane remained in with a chance of becoming the Tour’s oldest winner.

Gabriel Cañizares, one of Tour veteran José María’s two sons in the field (Alejandro missed the cut after rounds of 73-68) carded a best-of-the-day 64, while Álvaro Quirós – at 21st, the highest world-ranked player in the field) bounced back with a 65 after an opening 71.

José María Olazábal

Pablo Martín, the young Málaga star who won the first event of the new season (the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa) and 2009 champion Søren Kjeldsen were among those just making it into the third round on the one-under cut-off mark, but less fortunate were José María Olazábal (70-71), Darren Clarke (69-72), 2008 winner Thomas Levet (72-70), Colin Montgomerie (70-72), 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell (74-73), Australians David Gaunt (71-69), Matthew Zions (69-71) and Richard Green (71-71), and tournament host Miguel Ángel Jiménez (72-73). The 1999 winner of the tournament when it was also held at the Parador, Jiménez has finished 24th, 19th, 14th, 55th and 124th since taking it over as promoter and host.

THIRD ROUND: Elusive 59 – almost

Søren Kjeldsen

England’s Kenneth Ferrie made the halfway cut with nothing to spare, but shot to a share of second with a European Tour record-equalling 60 on the third day. After an eagle and seven birdies on the first 17 holes he needed to hole his approach to the closing hole from the right-hand rough for a 59 and, amazingly, he nearly pulled off the feat – his ball trickling past the edge of the cup. It would have been the first 59 on the European Tour – there have been five on the US PGA Tour.

The 32-year-old two-time Tour winner (2003 Canarias Open de España and 2005 European Open), who wore a Superman belt when he led the 2006 US Open after three rounds, became the 14th player to shoot a 60 on the European Tour.

“It was unspectacular, but it added up to a spectacular score,” he said later. “You’d expect somebody with such a low score to have holed putts and hit spectacular shots, but it was just a very steady round – lots of fairways, lots of greens and a lot of wedge shots to four or five feet which I managed to knock in. Some days you shoot 70 and you are doing cartwheels and are over the moon, but I don’t feel I did anything above and beyond. I realised that if I finished birdie-birdie-birdie it would have been 59, but 16 and 18 are strong holes and if you get out of position on them you are going to struggle to make pars. My six iron at the last looked very good and when it landed I got a little bit excited, but I would gladly have taken 60 with three to play.”

Kenneth Ferrie

Paul Lawrie had a bogey-free, equal best-of-the-day 65 to take a one-shot lead into the final day; as overnight leaders Rikard Karlberg, Jeppe Huldahl and Maarten Lafeber slipped down the field with over-par rounds.

FINAL ROUND: Roller-coaster ride

Johan Edfors

Englishman Mark Foster was, like Paul Lawrie, seeking his first victory in more than 200 European Tour starts and with two quick birdies he took the early lead from the Scot, who had begin the day one ahead. In the end he slipped to a two-over 70 and a share of fourth place with Jeppe Huldahl and Raphaël Jacquelin.

Keith Ferrie was unable to maintain his sparkling form of the previous day, requiring 15 strokes more and slumping to 11th place with, among others, Rikard Karlberg.

A three-putt bogey on the 15th thwarted Stefan Edfors’ chances of victory after he had drawn level three times during the final round, though he managed to hold on to second and relegate Chilean Felipe Aguilar to third.

Paul Lawrie and Miguel Ángel Jiménez

Valencian José Manuel Lara stepped on to the 18th tee just one shot behind Edfors but hit his approach over the green, past a TV tower, through the spectators and out of bounds by about two palm trees, and ended up with a triple-bogey seven. A par would have given him third place; instead he finished eighth, though still top Spaniard and winner of the Osborne trophy. Jiménez later consoled him, saying he had played well and the mishap on the 18th had been because he played his approach “courageously”. Lara himself noted that it showed Spanish galleries are “very, very legal”, suggesting that if the same thing had happened to Tiger Woods, for example, in the US, an “espabilado” (bright spark) would have kicked it back.

Other players: 18 Maarten Lafeber, Tetsuji Hiratsuka (275); 23 Jamie Elson (276); 40 Robert Rock, Oscar Floren (279); 45 Gabriel Cañizares, Barry Lane, Paul McGinley (280); 51 Álvaro Quirós (281); 62 Søren Kjeldsen (283); 63 Pablo Martín (284).

Photos: Golffoto.com

…but Woods’ private jet remains in Florida as Open de Andalucía gets underway

Miguel Ángel Jiménez and José María Olazábal

THEY WERE CHATTING at the Dubai Desert Classic in February when Miguel Ángel Jiménez popped the question to Tiger Woods: would he like to come and play in the Open de Andalucía on the Costa del Sol?

“I told him that I organised the tournament and I didn’t have much money to spare, but he was welcome to play,” recalled Jiménez on the eve of the 10th edition of the tournament – held for a second year at the Parador Málaga Golf (24-27 March). “I couldn’t pay him an appearance fee, or fuel for his plane, but good food and good wine, yes… We laughed and he said, ‘I’ll think about it.’”

José Manuel Lara

If Woods did think about it seriously there would been have the thorny issue of $3 million (his reputed fee for “international” appearances). In any event, Woods is teeing up in the $6 million Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida this week, together with most of Europe’s elite players – already setting up camp in the US in preparation for the Masters at Augusta.

Darren Clarke

As Jiménez freely admits, the €1 million Open de Andalucía is one of the “lesser” events on the European Tour – though he has managed to bring together a strong field. South African Louis Oosthuizen, whose victory last year at the Parador was his first Tour triumph and who went on to dominate the 2010 British Open, was planning to defend his title but earlier in the week he had to withdraw suffering from an ongoing eye infection.

Michael Campbell

José María Olazábal

There are still three former major champions in the field, however: Scotland’s Paul Lawrie (1999 British Open) and New Zealander Michael Campbell (2005 US Open), though neither has been in the most sparkling form lately; and two-times US Masters winner and 2012 Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal, back on the fairways after a lengthy hiatus through injury. The 2011 field also includes several Tour winners, among them: Álvaro Quirós (at 21st, the highest world-ranked player), Pablo Martín, José Manuel Lara, Alejandro Quirós, Pablo Larrazábal, Rafael Cabrera-Bellow, Ignacio Garrido and Santiago Luna (Spain); Johan Edfors and Niclas Fasth (Sweden); Søren Kjeldsen and Søren Hansen (Denmark); last week’s winner in Sicily Raphaël Jacquelin and Thomas Levet (France); Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke (Northern Ireland); Rhys Davies (Wales); Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chowrasia (India); Simon Dyson and Simon Khan (England); and Shane Lowry (Ireland) – as well last year’s triumphant Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie (Scotland). Spain’s Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño had to pull out with a bad back; and a family illness also thwarted Thomas Bjorn’s plans to compete at the Parador.

The only three Australians in the field are: Richard Green, who needs to win at the Parador to climb into the top 50 of the world ranking and gain a place in the US Masters; Daniel Gaunt, who finished seventh on the 2010 Challenge Tour to gain a card for the main Tour; and Matthew Zions, whose 15th place on the final Challenge Tour money list also earned him a place on the main Tour this year.

Apart from prizemoney, the players are also competing for two places in the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesín (Mystery Solved) from 19 to 22 May – for the winner and runner-up.

Paul McGinley

This is the 10th edition of the tournament. Vijay Singh won the first Turespaña Masters-Open de Andalucía in 1992 at the Parador (Spain’s fourth oldest course, opened in 1925); Andrew Oldcorn, Carl Mason and Alex Cejka won the subsequent editions at Novo Sancti Petri, Montecastillo and Islantilla, respectively; and Jiménez (Ferrari Golfing Class) broke the course record with a third-round 62 on the way to victory in 1999. (In 1994, Montecastillo course designer Jack Nicklaus played the first two rounds with Severiano Ballesteros and Miguel Ángel Jiménez.)

Turespaña – Spain’s national tourism promotion authority – then switched its sponsorship to other areas of Spain, and the Open de Andalucía remained off the schedule until 2007 when Jimenez’s Fade & Draw Target company resurrected the event. Lee Westwood won that year at Marbella’s Aloha, Thomas Levet was victorious the following year at the same club and Søren Kjeldsen won when the tournament moved to Sevilla in 2009.

Rather bizarrely, for an event heavily sponsored by the Junta de Andalucía (regional government) to promote the region, especially during a year when tourists planning to holiday in the troubled Middle East are expected to opt for safer options such as Spain, Turkish Airlines has been brought on board as a title sponsor (Open de Andalucía de Golf by Turkish Airlines). But these are crisis times. As Jiménez himself revealed, “I even had to dip into my own pocket.”

Tetsuji Hiratsuka

He did stress, however, “I remain committed to maintaining the Open de Andalucía, even though it is taking a lot of hard work. I’m here and who I am thanks to golf, and this is my way of returning to the place of my birth a part of what I have achieved in 23 seasons on the European Tour.

“Golf in this part of Andalucía is a lot more than sport. It has become an industry and, even though it is currently experiencing difficult times, like the general economy throughout the world, golf generates a lot of jobs here and supports many families.

Pablo Martín

“Last year we decided to hold it at Parador Málaga Golf, where they really turned on the hospitality and treated us magnificently, and that’s why we are returning for a second consecutive year.”

Raphaël Jacquelin

Recalling the previous edition, he said the players had “left delighted, not only because of the treatment they received but also because of the course. Several key renovations were carried out at Parador Málaga Golf and the layout was in very good condition. We reduced it to a par-70, but only for the tournament; we reduced the first and 16th holes to par-fours to make the course more competitive. People are sometimes afraid of par-70 courses but it shouldn’t be like that. Some of the top courses hosting Grand Slam events are par-71 or par-71.”

Søren Kjeldsen

Jiménez also expressed his appreciation to the regional Ministry of Tourism and Sport, “and in particular Luciano Alonso, the minister, for his support of the tournament. I would also like to express my appreciation to all the staff at the Parador, headed by Victor Teodosio. They work hard to take care of our requests and are always on hand to look after the needs of the players and the European Tour.”

Álvaro Quirós

As for his own season so far, the 18-time Tour winner (with over €17 million in career prizemoney) said that overall his results from the first four tournaments had been good. “I feel in a good state physically and mentally and I’m hitting the ball well. I nearly won the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain; it was a shame my putts wouldn’t go down but I was hitting the ball sensationally, and I fell just one short of Casey (the eventual winner). I became quite frustrated; I had so many birdie opportunities and there was no way of finishing them off.”

Jeev Milkha Singh

Looking back on his career, he said, “I’m 47 now and I’ve been on the European Tour for 23 years; I’m still keen and I still have a hunger for competition. My objective remains the same as always: enjoy what I’m doing and, above all else, live and enjoy the moment.”

Hopefully for him that moment will be a little sweeter this year; he has struggled to balance his roles as promoter and player over the past four editions, finishing 24th, 19th and 14th, and 55th last year.

(Photos: Golffoto.es)

By PEDRO BOLICHERO

THE UNIVERSAL public view by players is that they relish the opportunity of teeing up at Valderrama. Privately, many also dread it. Of course, while golf is supposed to be fun for us lesser golfing mortals, for the game’s elite it is just another day at the office – and, as in any job, some days are better than others. Or, at Valderrama, worse than others.

For those teeing up in the inaugural Andalucía Valderrama Masters, the days at the office had been mostly good this season. All of those gaining a place through their position on the Tour money list had won at least €300,000 so far this season; the leading 20, over €1 million (with pacesetter Martin Kaymer topping €3 million).

Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Thomas Björn

We’re not talking about minimum wage here so, even though most fans like to see magnificent shot-making with a glut of birdies, eagles and maybe even a rare albatross (there had been two of the latter during the 16 years of the Volvo Masters at Valderrama, by Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Graeme McDowell), we also have a perverse pleasure in seeing them under the cosh. Not every week, but at least when they visit Valderrama.

Bernhard Langer might have carded a nine-under 62 in the second round of the 1994 Volvo Masters at Valderrama, but most players – even the Tour’s best – are relieved to trudge off this course with a par 71. In fact, any player achieving that feat in all four rounds of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters would have finished joint fifth and won €116,100 for their efforts.

José María Olazábal

After the final Volvo Masters at the end of 2008, Valderrama was off the European Tour schedule last season, but it returned with a new tournament (sponsored, owned and run by the Junta de Andalucía – regional government) and still at its most fearsome, especially when the wind blows (which it did).

Some players may have been optimistic about the safety of going back into the water as they headed to Sotogrande, hopeful that perhaps – just perhaps – it wouldn’t bare its teeth of old after the hiatus. And there were indications of a more benign Valderrama on the first day.

Sergio García

Pablo Larrazábal, winner of the 2008 French Open but still not quite in the highest echelon of Spain’s strong Tour contingent, shot a five-under 66 to lead by two after the first round but he was realistic – perhaps too realistic – about the exalted situation in which he found himself. “Being leader after the first round does not mean that much, but what is important is to lead on Saturday and Sunday… You need lots of patience; par is a good score.” He followed that with 77-76-78 to eventually finish an impatient 47th.

McDowell, the 2010 US Open champion, followed his opening 68 with a 67 to take a two-shot lead at the halfway stage, his nearest rival being fellow Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin, still seeking his first Tour victory. McDowell was also in a cautiously realistic frame of mind. “At Valderrama you’ve got to stay patient and focused.”

Miguel Ángel Jiménez

At the end of the third day, Maybin had drawn level with McDowell at the top of the leaderboard, even if the scoring was unspectacular. “It can be pretty brutal when the wind blows, so to shoot under par (70) was a good result,” enthused Maybin.

The winds remained just as brutal on the final day, and few observers believed the winning total would remain at the Northern Irishmen’s overnight best of six-under.

Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño

In the Celtic Manor Wales Open in June, McDowell closed with a nine-under 63, the lowest last-round score by a winner on the 2010 Tour. Two weeks later, at Pebble Beach, he carded a three-over 74 on the final day to win the 2010 US Open – which was the highest final-day total by a Tour winner (the event is co-sanctioned by the European and US Tours).

At Valderrama, he was also able to finish with a three-over 74, bogey the last and still win by two shots over Maybin, who had been just one behind on the 17th tee; Irishman Damien McGrane, who held the lead after the 15th before a double bogey-bogey-bogey finish; and Denmark’s Søren Kjeldsen, who won the 2008 Volvo Masters and finished second the year before.

Later, a delighted but drained McDowell said, “It’s very special to win here and I draw a lot of comparisons with Pebble Beach. It was a war of attrition and the last man standing really. Damien and Gareth are both grinders in their own right and I was just happy that I could eventually get the job done. It really has been a special season and I couldn’t imagine it would have gone the way it has. But I didn’t want to rest on my laurels and just cruise to Dubai: I wanted to try and finish strong.”

Of McDowell’s other 2010 Ryder Cup-winning colleagues, Miguel Ángel Jiménez was seventh on one-over 285; Francesco Molinari 35th; Peter Hanson 47th; and Edoardo Molinari missed the cut,  Sergio García, playing in his second tournament after a two-month break to regain his enthusiasm for the game, and José María Olazábal, competing in his third event after being out of the game almost the entire season due to injury, finished joint 10th on four-over 288.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez and regional Minister for Tourism, Commerce and Sport Luciano Alonso.

Among those who also failed to make the cut to the leading 50 players and ties were three Spanish winners on this year’s Tour: Álvaro Quirós, the Tour’s biggest hitter who hails from the nearby village of Guadiario; Pablo Martin, also from the Costa del Sol; and José Manuel Lara.

Only two Australians were in the field: Richard Green (winner of the 2010 Portugal Masters) finished on seven-over in a share of 21st place; while Scott Strange missed the cut by the barest margin, on six-over 148.

Martin Kaymer

WORLD NUMBER ONE

McDowell moved closer, in second place, to Race to Dubai leader Martin Kaymer, as the German struggled at Valderrama after three consecutive Tour wins starting with the US PGA Championship. Kaymer could have gone to the top of the world rankings if he had won or finished on his own or with just one other player, but he stumbled to 21st and the coveted honour went instead to Lee Westwood, who didn’t play at Valderrama.

Lee Westwood won the 2007 Open de Andalucía at the Aloha club in Marbella… just over three years later he was world number one (Photo: Jorge Andréu).

The Englishman thus ended Tiger Woods’ 281-week reign at the top, to become the first European since Nick Faldo in 1994 to lead the world rankings.

The only other European players to have been number one since the rankings were introduced in 1986 are Severiano Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam. Just seven other players had also reached the summit: Greg Norman, Fred Couples, Nick Price, Tom Lehman, Ernie Els, David Duval and Vijay Singh.

HE MIGHT NOT be a household name among golfing fans outside his home base but Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit has been shredding the record books in his rookie year on the European Senior Tour.

Known as the “Godfather of Asian Golf”, he almost made history in 2009 by becoming the oldest winner in the history of the Asian Tour but lost a play-off for the Brunei Open title to Australian Darren Beck. Then, in March this year he began competing full-time on the European Senior Tour and reeled off three consecutive wins (in Brunei, Thailand and South Africa).

This made him the quickest player to achieve three victories, his seven tournament appearances being one fewer than Brian Huggett’s previous record. In  addition, his 21-under winning total of 195 in the Chang Thailand Senior Masters was the lowest 54-hole score to par in the history of the Tour; and his 11-stroke victory over his nearest challenger was also the highest recorded for a 54-hole event since the Tour was launched in 1992.

On this occasion, the 54-year-old carded 10 birdies on the way to a closing seven-under 64 and a 16-under total to win the second Benahavis Senior Masters at La Quinta Golf & Country Club by seven shots – strengthening his position at the top of the order of merit with just two events remaining. His nearest rivals in the 54-hole tournament (with a field of 79) were defending champion Carl Mason (who also won four times in his rookie season in 2003) and another Englishman, John Gould, both on nine-under 204.

The leading Spaniard was Juan Quirós, fourth on 206; while José Rivero was 17th, José María Cañizares 50th, La Quinta course designer Manuel Piñero 58th, Antonio Garrido 71st, and Sergio García father, Victor, 69th.

The top Australian (joint fifth with a total of 207) was Peter Fowler, who in 1989 won the World Cup for Australia, paired with Wayne Grady, just down in the valley at a rain-drenched Las Brisas. The only other two Australians in the field were David Merriman (12th) and Graham Banister (27th).