In 2021 at Los Naranjos, Spanish star Carlota Ciganda won the tournament and Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul (who earlier this month topped the world ranking at just 19 years of age) finished number one for the season. The previous year, at Royal Guadalmina, Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen secured the double.
This will be the fourth Ladies European Tour event of the year in Spain, after the Comunidad de Madrid Ladies Open, Estrella Damm Ladies Open Presented by Catalunya and Aramco Team Series-Sotogrande, and it will offer €650,000 in prizemoney as well as a bonus pool of €250,000 for the top three finishers in the Race to Costa del Sol.
It is the first time that Alferini Golf will host a Ladies European Tour tournament, but the Villa Padierna resort, located in Benahavís municipality (bordering Marbella and Estepona), was also the venue (Flamingos course) for the 2010 Spanish Women’s Open won by Laura Davies.
Azahara Muñoz – champion in 2016 and 2017
The Costa del Sol has hosted the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España continuously since 2016 when, at Aloha, Marbella-born Azahara Muñoz became the first Spanish player to win her home open. She successfully defended the title in 2017 at Royal Guadalmina (where she learned to play the game as a top junior), before Dutchwoman Anne Van Damm won the next two editions at La Quinta and Aloha.
Tickets for the 2022 event are on sale at the tournament website (www.openfemenino.com): weekly pass €30, or one-day tickets for Thursday and Friday €10, Saturday €20 and Sunday €25. Children under 12 years are free if accompanied by an adult and the ticket is obtained through the website.
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