Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, El Paraíso was once again the perfect host for players competing on the Andalucía Golf Challenge Circuit, who enjoyed a course in excellent condition and a truly unbeatable atmosphere and service.

Designed by the legendary Gary Player, the course is one of the most varied and interesting on the Costa del Sol, In addition, with the constant improvements that have been made to mark its 50th anniversary, and the impetus of a fully committed board of directors and the excellent efforts of general manager David Ramos, it is also one of the most attractive.

Proof of this is that, even though the event was played on a Thursday, places were sold out on Monday the same week – in all, 168 players who gathered from early in the morning.

There were quite a few players who preferred to walk, as the course is perfect for playing without a cart, despite the fact that it was quite a hot day. This did not affect the pace of play, which was superbly controlled by the club staff. The coordination was especially impressive on the part of operations manager Robert Hall, while another special mention should be made of the excellent catering service headed by Miguel Ramos.

After El Paraiso there are now only two opportunities to qualify for the final on 30 September at Almenara (Sotogrande) and opt for one of the five prizes of all-expenses-paid golf trips, flying with Air Europa to Cancún, staying at the five-star Grand Tulum in Bahía Príncipe, and playing golf at PGA Riviera Maya, Mayakoba El Camaleón and Playa Paraíso.

These last two events are on Saturday 2 September at Estepona Golf and the following Saturday, 9 September, at La Hacienda Alcaidesa Heathland.

(PHOTO GALLERY AT THE END OF THIS TOURNAMENT REPORT)  

RESULTS

Winner of ball nearest to the pin on the 5th, prize provided by IdeaTerrazas: Pilar Romera Torres

Winner of ball nearest to the pin on the 14th, prize provided by Restaurante Tragabuches: Nathan Vanlier

Scratch winner: José Carlos Villaespesa Castillón 38 points

Category One:

1º José María Retana Manzano-Monís 43 points

2º Francisco Silvela 42 points

3º Baldomero Sánchez Granadino 41 points

Category Two:

1º Borja Ruiz Mateos 42 points

2º Carlos González Siebert 42 points

3º Ángel Chacón Pineda 40 points

The scratch winner and first three top players in each category received trophies and prizes consisting of top-brand apparel from the Fairway+blue boutique in Puerto Banús, cases of wine from D.O. Somontano, and one dozen Bridgestone balls (Tiger Woods Special Edition for the scratch winner and E6 for the others).

The results can be found at the following link: EL PARAÍSO RESULTS

The Andalucía Golf Challenge-Destination PGA Riviera Maya by Bahía Príncipe is a popular open amateur circuit, organised by Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine and covering all Andalucian provinces, in addition to other areas of central Spain, with the majority of events being held at top courses on the Costa del Sol.

The Circuit’s grand finale, which will decide the five winners of trips to the Mexican Caribbean, will be held at Almenara on 30 September, followed by a gala dinner at Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús in Marbella.

Access to the final will be direct for the winners of each category and the leading scratch player in all the qualifying tournaments, while the rest of the places in the final will be awarded based on the Benahavís Ranking, calculated from points obtained in each leg.

You can access the Circuit's own website through the magazine website, consulting the dates for forthcoming events and registering online.

ENTRY REGISTRATION

DESTINATION PGA RIVIERA MAYA by BAHÍA PRÍNCIPE

The grand finale of the circuit will decide the five winners of one-week all-inclusive trips to the Bahía Príncipe resort in Riviera Maya, with golf at PGA Riviera Maya, El Camaleón Mayakoba and Playa Paraíso. The top two finishers in each category and the scratch winner in the final, to be played on 30 September at Almenara, will travel to the Mexican Caribbean.

PLANNED DATE FOR THE TRIP

7 to 14 November 2023

The PRIZE INCLUDES:

- Flights from Málaga or Madrid to Cancun (round trip)

- Transfers between the airport and hotel

- All-inclusive accommodation at the 5-star Grand Tulum Bahía Príncipe hotel

- Golf at PGA Riviera Maya, El Camaleón Mayakoba and Playa Paraíso

.

The Circuit is sponsored by AIR EUROPA, BENAHAVÍS TOWN HALL, COSTA DEL SOL TOURISM, BAHÍA PRÍNCIPE, GRAN HOTEL GUADALPÍN BANÚS, VIVIENDO DEL TRADING and MARBELLA TOWN HALL. The main collaborators are Fairway+blue, D.O. Somontano, IdeaTerrazas and Holiday Golf Estates. Cadena SER and Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine are the Circuit's official media outlets.

AIR EUROPA

Air Europa is a member of the SkyTeam alliance, made up of 19 airlines that have been working together as a major global network for 20 years, serving more than 630 million passengers annually. Air Europa's fleet is one of the most modern on the continent. It comprises 38 aircraft whose average age does not exceed four years. The company is a leader in environmental conservation processes. In 2018, the German environmental organisation Atmosfair rated Air Europa as the most efficient European network airline.

BENAHAVÍS

Benahavís is a town with a rich Andalucian flavour, highlighted by narrow white streets, typically Arab, most of which lead to sunny squares. It is a welcoming town where you can enjoy nature and luxury developments, carefully integrated into the natural landscape and enveloped by golf courses meandering around the slopes of the Serranía de Ronda mountain range. Founded by the Arabs, under the protection of a 10th century fortress, Benahavís today is a perfect combination of tradition and modernity – a charming town that offers endless possibilities as a first-class tourist destination.

COSTA DEL SOL TOURISM

Costa del Sol Tourism and Planning is a public-owned company operating under the auspices of the Málaga provincial government (Diputación) and whose main objective is to promote the province as a tourist destination and to support economic growth, by designing and undertaking projects at the service of private companies and public entities. It is dedicated to providing professional consultancy, advice and services in the following areas: tourist and business development, tourist and territorial planning, new technologies and modernisation of the tourism industry, and tourism marketing. It is a technical instrument set up for departments of the Diputación and municipalities, municipal authorities, associations and other public or private organisations associated with the development of Málaga province.

BAHÍA PRÍNCIPE

Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts is a hotel chain owned by Grupo Piñero, a prestigious Spanish family group that has interests throughout the high-end holiday industry network. Managed entirely by the Piñero family, the company has 27 hotels with more than 14,000 rooms, and is grouped under four categories: Bahía Príncipe Sunlight, Bahía Príncipe Grand, Bahía Príncipe Luxury and Bahía Príncipe Fantasia. The hotel chain has a presence in the most attractive locations in the Dominican Republic, Mexico), Jamaica and Spain.

GRAN HOTEL GUADALPÍN BANÚS

This five-star, frontline beach resort is located in the Nueva Andalucía (Marbella) area, just a 15-minute walk from the famous Puerto Banús marina. Offering tailor-made golf packs, Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús and CostaSol Deluxe can organise your golf getaway so you don't have to worry about anything. Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús is recognised as an elite and cosmopolitan option for those who are looking for the best hotels in Marbella. Only six kilometres separate it from Marbella’s town centre, highlighted by its charming Old Town with cobble-stoned streets and ancient churches – a wonderful place to visit.

VIVIENDODELTRADING.COM

The best manager of your capital is you. Learn to invest in a diversified and efficient way so that your money works for you. Viviendo del Trading has been training people for more than 10 years to manage their own capital with realistic expectations – and to enjoy a simple, easy and calm management process. Viviendo del Trading currently comprises seven people, six of whom are traders and investors. It is tremendously difficult and quite rare to bring together a team of traders with different profiles and specialities.

MARCA MARBELLA

Marbella is synonymous above all else with quality of life, an exceptional tourist destination that has been recognised worldwide for decades – with its image associated with the luxury, glamour and social status of other iconic resorts such as Monte Carlo and Saint Tropez. The keys to its success, attracting millions of visitors every year, are varied, highlighted by its extraordinary climate, its hotel infrastructure, its marinas, its beaches extending along 27 kilometres of coastline, its wide and varied range of leisure activities, and its many sports facilities, including 15 golf courses in the municipality.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
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