Seve Ballesteros champion in 1991 (Photo by Stephen Munday Getty Images)

One year alter his death, the memory of Seve Ballesteros is being kept alive at an event he won five times. For many of the players competing in the Volvo World Golf Championship at Finca Cortesín – especially the three Spaniards, Sergio García, Álvaro Quirós and Rafael Cabrera-Bello – Seve’s record when the tournament was held at Wentworth remains an inspiration.

The late Spanish legend won the title in 1981 (beating Ben Crenshaw by one-up in the final), 1982 (defeating Sandy Lyle on the 37th and first sudden-death hole), 1984 and 1985 (triumphing over Bernhard Langer on both occasions, 2 & 1 and 6 & 5, respectively) and finally against Nick Price in 1991 (3 & 2).

Seve Ballesteros, ex-wife Carmen Botín and their son Javier in 1991 (Photo by Getty Images)

This is the first year that three Spaniards are competing in the event, which dates to 1964 (Worldly Lustre Regained). Two played in 1977 (Seve and Manuel Piñero); 1986, 1989, 1992 and 1994 (Seve and José María Olazábal); 1999 (Sergio García and Olazábal); and 2011 (Álvaro Quirós and Miguel Ángel Jiménez).

In this year’s championship, García and Quirós are in the same group for the round-robin stages, with Tetsuji Hiratsuka; while Cabrera-Bello plays Martin Kaymer – at ninth, the highest world-ranked player in the field – and Richard Finch. The only Australian in this year’s field is John Senden, who plays defending champion Ian Poulter and Tom Lewis in the round-robin stages.

The other groups are: Justin Rose, Robert Rock and Darren Clarke; Charl Schwartzel, Nicolas Colsaerts and Retief Goosen (who has played in more World Match Plays than any other player in the 2012 field, 11); Graeme McDowell, Robert Karlsson (who replaced Paul Casey, originally the sponsor’s invitee but a late withdrawal due to injury) and Jbe Kruge; Peter Hanson, Paul Lawrie (competing in his 500th European Tour event) and Camilo Villegas; and Brandt Snedeker, Thomas Bjorn and Branden Grace, who is aiming for an unprecedented “Volvo hat-trick”, having already won the Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open this year. Ten of the players are competing in their first World Match Play Championship.

Divided into eight groups of three, the 24 players compete in the round-robin group format on Thursday and Friday, with 16 players progressing to Saturday’s knock-out stage (two from each group), and the semi-finals and final played on Sunday. The first 16 players were seeded based on their Official World Ranking points, and the eight unseeded players were drawn at random.

In recent months there had been increasing speculation that Volvo and IMG would not extend their three-year contract with Finca Cortesín – there were even rumours earlier in the year that the 2012 edition might be cancelled or moved elsewhere at the 11th hour – and it has now been confirmed that the championship will in fact leave the Costa del Sol after 2012.

Speaking at the traditional press presentation on the eve of the championship, Volvo Event Management president Per Ericsson said several other venues had expressed an interest in hosting the event, and Volvo believed it was important to move the event around the world. IMG spokesperson Guy Kinnings concurred, noting that rotating a tournament around various venues, and countries, “refreshed” an event. Ericsson said it was possible the championship would return to Spain in three or four years.

Formula 1 racing driver Heikki Kovalainen competed with Retief Goosen in the pro-am, finishing third behind winner Sergio García and second-placed Robert Karlsson and their teams.

In the meantime, the Junta de Andalucía (regional government) is once again conspicuous by its absence from the event. Following the 21st and final Volvo Masters in 2008, relations between then Minister for Tourism and Sport Luciano Alonso and Volvo soured, and the Junta launched another European Tour event, the Andalucía Masters, held at Valderrama in 2010 and 2011. On the previous two occasions the Volvo World Match Play was held at Finca Cortesín (2009 and 2011), and again this year, the government has – inexplicably, bearing in mind the promotional impact of the championship around the world – failed to provide even minimal institutional support to the event.

During the same press conference, Casares mayoress Antonio Morera declined to comment on the arrest, the previous day, of her predecessor Juan Sánchez, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption related to the Ukrainian-owned Majestic urbanisation just down the road from Finca Cortesín.

Mine host BigM and the cheerleaders

Australia makes a long-awaited return to the Fuengirola fairground as the popular Feria Internacional de los Pueblos opens on Saturday 28 April (continuing until Tuesday 1 May).

This fun-filled melting pot of 30 countries’ culture and cuisine, now in its 18th year, attracts between 500,000 and one million visitors over the four days. Australia is one of four new countries (not present last year) with a caseta in 2012 – together with Finland, Romania, France and Italy.

Rev Richard John

As always, one of the most popular venues (apart from the Brazilian!) will be the US caseta run by Costa del Disco, featuring live music (blues, C&W, rock and traditional American pop), cheerleader displays, line dancing performances and a repeat of the Superbowl, and Madonna’s half-time show, on a giant screen.

Sideshows and competitions have been organised for the younger revellers while their parents enjoy classic American food and drinks, and the caseta will also be adorned with traditional memorabilia and some “Hogs” outside, thanks to the presence of the Fuengirola Harley Davidson Club.

Two hundred guests invited by C. De Salamanca general manager Gabriel Ruíz and product manager Carlos López and Ferrari’s southern European sales manager Tito Arias were able to admire the world’s first mid-rear-engined berlinetta equipped with a retractable hard-top.

Powered by Ferrari’s naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5 litre V8, which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year for its engineering excellence, the 458 Spider was built entirely in aluminium. Its hard-top solution offers various advantages over the traditional folding soft-top, including a 25-kilogram reduction in weight and a deployment time of just 14 seconds. The small space needed to house the roof also enabled the designers to include a generous rear bench for luggage behind the seats.

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber test their cricket skills on St Kilda Beach in Melbourne.

An unprecedented six world champions will be on the grid when the new Formula 1 season begins in Australia on 18 March. Red Bull’s reigning champion Sebastian Vettel is pre-season favourite to win a third consecutive world title, with his main rivals Australian team-mate Mark Webber (career-best third in the 2010 and 2011 world championships), McLaren pair Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button (world champions in 2008 and 2009, respectively), and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (2005 and 2006).

Michael Schumacher completed final track testing in Barcelona before heading to Australia.

Seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, at 43 nearly 20 years older than his compatriot Vettel, is seeking his first podium finish since returning to the sport two years ago. He was the last driver to win three world titles in a row (actually five, from 2000 to 2004), while Juan Manuel Fangio is the only other to have achieved a consecutive hat-trick (four in his case, from 1954 to 1957).

Kimi Raikonen is the sixth world champion (2007) this year, making his Formula 1 comeback with Lotus after an unremarkable stint in rally driving.

Daniel Ricciardo during pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Spain’s Pedro de la Rosa also returns to a seat at the top table, with Madrid-based HRT; while Australian Daniel Ricciardo, the 2009 British Formula Three champion starts his first full season with Toro Rosso, having been loaned out to HRT for 11 races last season.

The 2012 season comprises 20 Grand Prix, including the Gran Premio de España in Cataluña on 13 May and the Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia on  24 June, concluding with the Grande Prêmio Do Brasil on 25 November.

Complete race, team and driver information at:  Formula1.com

Among those following Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Robert Rock and eventual opening-round leader Matteo Manassero on the first day of competition was Málaga Football Club manager Manuel Pellegrini. (Photo: M. Álvarez)

“I said to him, ‘Come on, Tiger, come and play in the Open de Andalucía. Things are really tight and you can sort out the tournament for me. I can’t give you any money but a good hotel, yes, and fried fish… you’ll have a great time.’ He laughed.”

Held for a third time at Marbella’s Aloha (where Lee Westwood and Thomas Levet won in 2007 and 2008, respectively), the 2012 field features three other winners of major championships: 2003 US Masters champion Mike Weir, who also won the 2000 American Express World Golf Championship at Valderrama; 2002 US PGA Championship winner Rich Beem; and 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell. Dual Masters champion José María Olázabal had to withdraw at the last moment due to a foot injury and defending champion and 1999 British Open winner Paul Lawrie (winner at Parador de Málaga Golf last year) also pulled out with a lung infection.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Matteo Manassero (Photo: M. Álvarez)

The other past winners are: 1992 Vijay Singh (Parador de Málaga Golf), 1993 Andrew Oldcorn (Novo Sancti Petri), 1994 Carl Mason (Montecastillo), 1995 Alex Cejka (Islantilla), 1999 (Miguel Ángel Jiménez (Parador de Málaga Golf), 2009 Søren Kjeldsen (Real Sevilla) and 2010 Louise Oosthuizen (Parador de Málaga Golf).

A new exhibition at Málaga’s Museo Picasso highlights the intense interest shown by photographers of the time in the Málaga-born artist’s work and life. Titled “MemyselfandI: Photographic Portraits of Picasso”, the collection has been jointly brought together by Museo Picasso Málaga and Museum Ludwig (Cologne) and features 166 shots by 34 photographers. It covers a period that began in the early 20th century – the bohemian years in Paris — with pictures showing “a playful Picasso, surrounded by friends and acquaintances”, mostly taken by

his artist friends. In his later years, as famous artists were given access to portray him, the settings became “rather more rigid and controlled”. A book published to coincide with the exhibition explains that, in response to the growing interest in his person, Picasso turned himself into a director, set designer, props master and performer in his photos. “They were the

forerunners of the media events staged by Andy Warhol.”

Paradisiacal Landscapes

Jan Brueghel: The Garden of Eden (1610-1612)

Fritz Bamberger: Beach at Estepona with a View of the Rock Gibraltar (1855)

Members of the foreign press on the Costa del Sol were invited to a special viewing at the Museo Carmen Thyssen in Málaga as part of an ongoing initiative by the art museum to strengthen ties with international groups living on the Coast.

Artistic director Lourdes Moreno and managing director Javier Ferrer informed the visiting media representatives about the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and the museum’s permanent collection, as well as future educational projects, the “Friends of the Museum” programme and the forthcoming temporary exhibition opening on 31 March and running until 7 October: Paradises and Landscapes in the Carmen Thyssen Collection – From Brueghel to Gauguin.

Controversial Perceptions

Copyright: Robert Mckeever Gagosian Gallery – courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery

Work by one of the “most closely-watched artists on the international contemporary art scene”, Richard Prince, is on show at the Museo Picasso Málaga from 27 February until 27 May. The world premiere exhibition comprises 38 large-format paintings and 51 small-format collages and photo-collages created by the US artist over the last two years. Also on display are 26 graphite drawings and watercolours from the 1970s, and one pencil drawing on paper from the same period.

Waggy Tails

The Great Estepona Dog Show, organised by local charity ADANA to raise funds for the care of abandoned dogs in the area, will be held on 3 June at the Palacio de Congresos. This year’s show, a fun event for all the family, includes two new classes (best pedigree and best Spanish breed), while continuing with the popular agility and obedience classes. Prizes will also be awarded to “the dog with the waggiest tail” and “the dog who looks most like his/her owner”, as well as best veteran, best puppy and best junior dog handler.

More information from Josephine Melville: josiemelville2@gmail.com

Artistic Photography

Photographers Phil Magee and Gordon Haslett will be showing their work at the AIA exhibition at the Antequera Hospital (C/ Poeta Muñoz Rojas) from 16 January to 15 April.

More information at: aia-artgroup.com

(Photo: Fernando Herranz)

Milan-born Alessandra Averna won her first title in her professional debut, beating joint second-placed Spaniards Laura Cabanillas and Raquel Carriedo by two shots in the opening event of the 2012 Banesto Tour in Málaga. “I’m very, very happy,” said the 23-year-old. “I came to the Parador – a real paradise with beach and golf! – without any expectations and I’m returning home with the trophy. It’s an incredible sensation… Funnily enough, I picked up my first golf club when I was three, also here in Málaga (province), at Guadalmina, where we used to come for our family holidays.”

Spanish Crown for Englishman

Young English golfer Jack Hiluta defeated German rival Marcel Schneider 4&3 in the 36-hole final of the Spanish Amateur International event played at Mallorca’s Alcanada Golf. One of Europe’s most prestigious competitions, dating to 1911, the King’s Cup has previously been won by such luminaries as José María Olazábal, Darren Clarke, Sergio García and Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño.

Women Power

(Photo: ElMarcoRojo)

(Photo: ElMarcoRojo)

The fourth season of the Banesto Premium Tour was launched at Málaga’s Parador course – as reigning World Cup football champions Spain blitzed Venezuala 5-0 just down the road at the La Rosaleda stadium in an international friendly. This year’s tour, open to Spanish and foreign women professionals and invited amateurs, comprises seven events between March and November, held throughout Spain.

(Photo: Rafa Cabrera)

The Parador tournament was preceded by a “closest to the pin” competition among the press covering the event, with each journalist paired with a pro. After an entertaining repertoire of diverse shot-making, the prize was won by Laura Cabanillas (a winner in each of the three previous seasons, including 2009 at the Parador) and Golflog cameraman Arturo Caballero. The other two professional participants were Itziar Elguezábal and Mireia Prat.

 Aloha from Marbella

(Photo: Jorge Andréu)

Former British Open champion (1999) Paul Lawrie will return to the Costa del Sol from 15 to 18 March to defend the Open de Andalucía title he won last year at Málaga’s Parador course. Colin Montgomerie and his successor as Ryder Cup captain José María Olazábal have also confirmed their presence in the 2012 European Tour event, which returns to Aloha (where Lee Westwood and Thomas Levet won in 2007 and 2008, respectively). The tournament is hosted, promoted and organised by 18-time Tour champion Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s MAJ Group.

Senior Moments

Juan Quirós

The Benahavís Senior Masters returns to La Quinta Golf for a fourth consecutive year, but moves to an earlier date: 1-3 June. Englishman Carl Mason won the inaugural event in 2009 and last year (for his record 25th European Senior Tour title), while Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit was victorious in 2010.

Meanwhile, European Senior Tour star Juan Quirós has indicated he will be supporting the Gecko Winter Pro Tour in southern Spain. “Set up by professional golfers for professional golfers”, the fledgling circuit runs from September to April with a 36-hole event every week.

Spanish Hat-Trick

(Photo: Getty Images)

Twenty-seven-year-old Rafael Cabrera-Bello made it a Spanish triple when he held off the challenge of Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy to win the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February. It was his second European Tour victory after the 2009 Austrian Golf Open and followed Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Álvaro Quirós’s victories in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Masterful Comeback

(Photos: Volvo in Golf)

(Photos: Volvo in Golf)

Two-times US Masters champion José María Olazábal showed he still had the skills to compete at the top level when he led his other four Spaniards colleagues home in the Volvo Golf Champions event in South Africa in January. Olazábal, who has been unable to play a full schedule in recent years due to injury, finished joint sixth four shots behind the winner Branden  Grace, while Miguel Ángel Jiménez was 24th, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño 26th, Pablo Larrazábal 32nd and Pablo Martín 34th.

By September, she was number three – the highest-ranked Belarusian player in the history of the women’s tour, two better than Natasha Zvereva. Now the 2007 US Open (with Max Mirnyi) and 2008 French Open (Bob Bryan) mixed doubles champion has secured her first singles Glam Slam title, with a comprehensive Australian Open triumph over fellow arch-grunter Maria Sharapova of Russia, and wrested number one spot from Caroline Wozniacki – who had held on to the position since October 2010 in spite of still seeking her own first Grand Slam victory.

Azarenka’s win made it a rare double: she was also the Australian Open junior singles champion in 2005, the same year she won the US Open junior title and was named the ITF Junior Girls World Champion. Her first career WTA title was the 2009 Brisbane International, and earlier this year, in the lead-up to the 2012 Australian Open, she won the Apia International Sydney tournament.

Dinara Safina signing autographs

Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anabel Medina visit Marbella’s Old Town

Winning style from Azarenka

A friend “very high up in the media world who has been tapping the phones in Australia House for many years” gave Barry Humphries an inkling. “I can’t tell you his name; he is married to a Chinese girl. He said it was between me and Julian Assange and it turned out to be me.”

In his acceptance speech after being named Australian of the Year in the UK, comedy legend Humphries borrowed a celebrated quote from that same unnamed friend’s comments to a British parliamentary committee on phone hacking in 2011, “This is the most humble day of my life.”

He won the award, presented at a ceremony at Australia House in London, after a 50-year theatre career, highlighted by his alter egos “priapic and inebriated cultural attaché” Sir Les Patterson, archetypal Aussie bloke Barry “Bazza” McKenzie and housewife “gigastar” Dame Edna Everage.  The latter would be jealous, he said. “Well it’s about time really, I think.”

Seventy-seven-year-old Humphries already holds the title of Officer of the Order of Australia. Wine writer Matthew Jukes was named Honorary Australian of the Year and the Young Australian of the Year award went to fashion consultant Yasmin Sewell.