The European Tour’s advance team is already at Valderrama preparing for the biggest event on Spain’s 2017 golfing calendar. Current U.S. Masters champion and new Spanish star Jon Rahm – both in the top-10 of the world rankings – will be joined by 60 other European Tour winners at the Andalucía Valderrama Masters, including José María Olazábal and Andrew “Beef” Johnston, who won the Spanish Open at Valderrama last year.
Latest details about the tournament (from 19 to 22 October) were announced at a high-level press conference held this week at the host club, which has previously hosted 19 Tour events, as well as two World Golf Championships and the 1997 Ryder Cup, the latter almost 20 years to the day of the conference.
Highlighting the importance of golf to the region, the Andalucian minister for tourism and sport, Francisco Javier Fernández, said 530,000 golf tourists had visited Andalucía in 2016, for an average of 10.2 days and spending €117 a day (compared with €67 for an average tourist). He said their overall valuation of the experience was 9.2 out of 10.
Javier Reviriego, general manager of Royal Valderrama Club, reported that ticket sales were proceeding “very well”, and said they were hoping to beat the attendance record for an event at the course, with up to 40,000 people expected during the week. He added that major improvements, including a complete revamp of the front nine, had been carried out at the course over the past five years, albeit without varying the original design by legendary golf architect Robert Trent Jones.
European Tour tournament director José María Zamora said he had the opportunity of visiting the course three weeks ago and had never seen nine holes in such perfect condition in all his years on the Tour.
Also present at media presentation were European Tour championship director Simon Alliss, San Roque mayor Juan Carlos Ruiz, Royal Spanish Golf Federation president Gonzaga Escauriaza and Royal Andalucian Golf Federation president Pablo Mansilla.
