With just two days to go before the Andalucía Valderrama Masters begins, the event is shaping up as an intriguing battle between a field highlighted by both established stars and rising newcomers.

As co-host through his charity foundation, and current U.S. Masters champion, Sergio García is the main drawcard, but it has also been confirmed that he will be joined by four other Grand Slam champions, José María Olazábal, Martin Kaymer, Padraig Harrington and Danny Willet.

Accompanying them among the marquee groups will be Jon Rahm, ranked fifth in the world rankings in just his first season as a pro; Andrew “Beef” Johnston, who won the Spanish Open at the same course, Royal Valderrama, last year; and numerous other European Tour champions.

Johnston divided his 2017 season between the European Tour and the U.S. PGA Tour. “I can’t wait to go back to Valderrama,” he said on the eve of the tournament. “My win there last year was such a huge moment in my career and to do it on one of the most famous courses in Europe just made it even more special.

“It is such a tough course but players still love playing it. It is not all about birdies like most other courses and you really have to think your way around. It has such an incredible history and I think it is great that the European Tour is going back there.

“I have been struggling with an injury lately but hopefully a return to the course where I claimed my first European Tour victory can give me a boost and I can challenge for the title again.”

Johnston is not the only “de facto defending champion” this week as García won the same tournament the last time it was played back in 2011. He plays on home soil for the first time since his famous triumph at Augusta National in April.

Rahm, meanwhile, will make his first appearance in Spain since turning professional after a meteoric rise to the top of the game. The 22-year-old claimed his maiden professional title on the U.S. PGA Tour in January, then stormed to a dominant victory and his first European Tour win at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation.

Padraig Harrington is playing on Spanish soil for the first time in nine years. The Irishman has not played competitively in Spain since his double major-winning season in 2008, when he claimed a top-15 finish at the Volvo Masters three months after winning the U.S. PGA Championship, his third and most recent major title.

Harrington has enjoyed great success in Spain, having claimed his maiden European Tour victory in the 1996 Peugeot Spanish Open at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, before earning another win four years later, the BBVA Open Turespaña Masters in Madrid. His third and latest Spanish triumph came in the 2001 Volvo Masters at Montecastillo Golf Resort.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Spain and especially to Valderrama,” said the Dubliner. “It’s one of those really special golf courses and obviously has a great history, being a former Ryder Cup venue.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in Spain and it’s always nice to go back to a country where you’ve been successful. The Spanish fans have always been great to me and I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve managed to win three times there.”

Germany’s Kaymer returns for the second successive season to a favourite course, “one of the most iconic golf courses in Europe”. Kaymer is a self-declared lover of Spain – including Iberian ham – and has often expressed his admiration for the prestigious southern Spanish layout. “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.”

In addition to these Grand Slam champions, current season winners on the European Tour teeing up at Valderrama will include England’s Matt Wallace (Open de Portugal); Italian duo Edoardo Molinari (Trophee Hassan II) and Renato Paratore (Nordea Masters); American Julian Suri (Made in Denmark); France’s Romain Wattel (KLM Open); and Argentina’s Andrés Romero (BMW International Open).

A strong Swedish contingent is led by Robert Karlsson, Europe’s number one in 2008 and the winner of 11 European Tour titles, who will be joined by Peter Hanson, Niclas Fasth and Johan Edfors.

Dane Søren Kjeldsen brings a great record to Valderrama – winner of the 2008 Volvo Masters, tied for second in the 2010 Andalucía Valderrama Masters and joint fourth in last year’s Open de España. Two of his four European Tour titles have come in Andalucía (2008 Volvo Masters and 2009 Open de Andalucía).

Ireland’s Shane Lowry, winner of the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and Holland’s Joos Luiten, runner up to Johnston at the 2017 Open de España, are also expected to challenge for the title.

For the 2016-2017 season, the Andalucía Valderrama Masters is the only European Tour event being held in Spain, and the last tournament on European soil before the Tour moves on to its international grand finale series in China, Turkey, South Africa and Dubai.

(Photos courtesy of RC Valderrama)

Tickets available online: www.andaluciavalderramamasters.com