MAPFRE Open de Andalucia
Encyclopedia
The Open de Andalucia de Golf is a European Tour
men's professional golf
tournament which was played for the first time in 2007. The event is held in the Andalusia
region of Spain
.
, was held in the Andalusia region and titled as the Turespana Masters Open de Andalucia, with winners including future major
champion and World Number 1
Vijay Singh
, and local favourite Miguel Ángel Jiménez
.
This incarnation of the Open de Andalucia owes its origins indirectly to the PGA Tour
's decision to reschedule The Players Championship
from March to May. In response, the European Tour decided to move the British Masters, which is one of its higher profile tournaments, from that same week in May to a September slot when more top players would be available. The Valle Romano Open de Andalucia was created to fill the gap in the schedule this move created. It has been promoted by the personal companies of the Spanish European Tour members Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
.
The first two events were staged at the Aloha Golf Club
near Marbella
, before the tournament was moved to the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla near Seville
for the 2009 season at the request of sponsors.
At the 2009 Open de Andalucia, European Ryder Cup
veteran Colin Montgomerie
became the 18th player to reach the 500 appearance mark on the European Tour. He started the tournament impressively with a five under par 67, for a share of second place after the first round. His challenge faded however, and he finished tied for 31st place at level par, 14 strokes behind the winner, Søren Kjeldsen
of Denmark
. Kjeldsen had broken the course record with a 10 under par 62 on Saturday to move into the lead, and a level par final round of 72 on Sunday was enough to see off the challenge of Scot
David Drysdale
by three strokes.
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
men's professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament which was played for the first time in 2007. The event is held in the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
region of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
History
Between 1992 and 1995, and again in 1999, former European Tour event, the Turespana MastersTurespana Masters
The Turespana Masters was a European Tour golf tournament which was played from 1992 to 2000 in several different regions of Spain. Turespana is the Spanish national tourism authority, and it sponsored several golf tournaments in the 1980s and 1990s to promote Spain's role as a major warm weather...
, was held in the Andalusia region and titled as the Turespana Masters Open de Andalucia, with winners including future major
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
champion and World Number 1
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh, CF , nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer who was Number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005. He has won three major championships and was the leading PGA Tour money winner in 2003, 2004 and 2008...
, and local favourite Miguel Ángel Jiménez
Miguel Angel Jiménez
Miguel Ángel Jiménez Rodríguez is a Spanish professional golfer. He has won 18 times on the European Tour.-Early years:...
.
This incarnation of the Open de Andalucia owes its origins indirectly to the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's decision to reschedule The Players Championship
The Players Championship
The Players Championship is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour.Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, the inaugural event in 1974 was played at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Georgia before moving to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975 and Inverrary...
from March to May. In response, the European Tour decided to move the British Masters, which is one of its higher profile tournaments, from that same week in May to a September slot when more top players would be available. The Valle Romano Open de Andalucia was created to fill the gap in the schedule this move created. It has been promoted by the personal companies of the Spanish European Tour members Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño
Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño is a Spanish professional golfer.Fernández-Castaño was born in Madrid. He turned professional in 2004 and came eighth at that year's European Tour Qualifying School....
.
The first two events were staged at the Aloha Golf Club
Aloha Golf Club
Aloha Golf Club is a golf club, located 3 kilometres inland from Puerto Banus and 8 kilometres west of Marbella, Andalusia, Spain. It hosted the Open de Andalucia on the European Tour in 2007 and 2008....
near Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
, before the tournament was moved to the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla near Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
for the 2009 season at the request of sponsors.
At the 2009 Open de Andalucia, European Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
veteran Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
became the 18th player to reach the 500 appearance mark on the European Tour. He started the tournament impressively with a five under par 67, for a share of second place after the first round. His challenge faded however, and he finished tied for 31st place at level par, 14 strokes behind the winner, Søren Kjeldsen
Søren Kjeldsen
Søren Kjeldsen is a Danish golfer. He turned professional in 1995.Kjeldsen's success on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1997, which included victory in the Volvo Finnish Open, earned him membership of the main European Tour for 1998. He has performed steadily at this level and won his first...
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Kjeldsen had broken the course record with a 10 under par 62 on Saturday to move into the lead, and a level par final round of 72 on Sunday was enough to see off the challenge of Scot
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
David Drysdale
David Drysdale
David Drysdale is a Scottish professional golfer.Drysdale was born in Edinburgh. He turned professional in 1995.Drysdale currently competes on the European Tour, having graduated through qualifying school for the fourth time at the end of 2008...
by three strokes.
Winners
| Year | Venue | Winner | Country | Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open de Andalucía de Golf by Turkish Airlines | ||||||
| 2011 | Parador de Málaga Golf | Paul Lawrie Paul Lawrie Paul Stewart Lawrie MBE is a Scottish professional golfer who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1999.-Life and career:... |
268 (−12) | 1 stroke |  Johan EdforsJohan Edfors Johan Edfors is a Swedish professional golfer who plays primarily on the European Tour.Edfors was born in Varberg. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio on a Division I athletic scholarship for men's golf. He played for the team under the coaching of Barry Denton for two years.Edfors... |
|
| Open de Andalucia de Golf | ||||||
| 2010 | Parador de Málaga Golf | Louis Oosthuizen Louis Oosthuizen Lodewicus Theodorus "Louis" Oosthuizen is a South African professional golfer, who won the 2010 Open Championship.-Early life and career:... |
263 (−17) | 3 strokes |  Richard FinchRichard Finch (golfer) Richard Finch is an English professional golfer.Finch is currently a member of the European Tour. He has been a member since 2005. Finch earned his card through Qualifying School in 2004... ,  Peter WhitefordPeter Whiteford Peter William Whiteford is a Scottish professional golfer.Whiteford was born in Kirkcaldy. He turned professional in 2002.... |
|
| Open de Andalucía | ||||||
| 2009 | Real Club de Golf de Sevilla | Søren Kjeldsen Søren Kjeldsen Søren Kjeldsen is a Danish golfer. He turned professional in 1995.Kjeldsen's success on the second tier Challenge Tour in 1997, which included victory in the Volvo Finnish Open, earned him membership of the main European Tour for 1998. He has performed steadily at this level and won his first... |
274 (−14) | 3 strokes | David Drysdale David Drysdale David Drysdale is a Scottish professional golfer.Drysdale was born in Edinburgh. He turned professional in 1995.Drysdale currently competes on the European Tour, having graduated through qualifying school for the fourth time at the end of 2008... |
|
| MAPFRE Open de Andalucía by Valle Romano | ||||||
| 2008 | Aloha Golf Club Aloha Golf Club Aloha Golf Club is a golf club, located 3 kilometres inland from Puerto Banus and 8 kilometres west of Marbella, Andalusia, Spain. It hosted the Open de Andalucia on the European Tour in 2007 and 2008.... |
Thomas Levet Thomas Levet Thomas Levet is a French professional golfer who is a member of the European Tour and former member of the PGA Tour.Levet was born in Paris, France... |
272 (−16) | Playoff (1 hole) | Oliver Fisher Oliver Fisher Oliver James Fisher is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.Fisher was born in Chingford, London. He was a winner of the Faldo Series, Nick Faldo's development programme for young golfers, in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and as such was regarded as one of the best prospects of his... |
|
| Valle Romano Open de Andalucia | ||||||
| 2007 | Aloha Golf Club Aloha Golf Club Aloha Golf Club is a golf club, located 3 kilometres inland from Puerto Banus and 8 kilometres west of Marbella, Andalusia, Spain. It hosted the Open de Andalucia on the European Tour in 2007 and 2008.... |
Lee Westwood Lee Westwood Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons... |
268 (−20) | 2 strokes | Fredrik Andersson Hed Fredrik Andersson Hed Fredrik Andersson Hed is a Swedish golfer.Andersson Hed was born in Halmstad. He turned professional in 1992. He has had two victories on the Challenge Tour but found success hard to come by on the main European Tour, where he had to return to qualifying school on numerous occasions... , Phillip ArcherPhillip Archer Phillip Archer is an English professional golfer.Archer was born in Warrington. He is best known for shooting a score of 60 in the first round at the Celtic Manor Wales Open in 2006. He had a chance of being the first player on the European Tour to shoot a 59, but missed his birdie putt on the... |
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