The Andalucía Masters is the second of a three-stop Spain swing as the European Tour’s 2021 season winds down.
Contested at Real Valderrama Golf Club on Spain’s southern coast, this will be the seventh edition of the Andalucía Masters.
The tournament headliner is world No. 1 Jon Rahm, a native son of Spain. He will be joined by fellow countryman Rafael Cabrera Bello, who took the Open de Espana last week in Madrid.
Other headliners include European Ryder Cup members Matt Fitzpatrick and Bernd Wiesberger, along with vice-captain Martin Kaymer.
The Skinny
Andalucía Masters
Tour Debut: 2010
2021 Season Week No:: 34 of 38
Dates: Oct. 14-17, 2021
Where: Sotogrande, Spain
Course: Real Club Valderrama
Distance: Par 71, 7,001 yards
Architect: Robert Trent Jones (1985)
Field: 126 players
Format: 36 cut/72 hole
Purse: €3,000,000
Winning Share: €333,330
FedExCup/OWGR Points: 34
Defending Champion: John Caitlin
How to Follow the Andalucía Masters
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 6 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (GOLF Channel)
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
History: Andalucía Masters
The Andalucía Masters is an old but new event on the European Tour, contested at the venerable Valderrama Golf Club on Spain’s southern coast.
This marks the seventh installment of Spain’s “Masters” tournament.
The event, however, can trace its roots back to the former Volvo Masters which was contested at Valderrama for a couple of decades, eventually ending in 2008. Two years later, in 2010, the “Masters” returned to the same venue, but with Andalucía as the title sponsor. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 title.
Native son Sergio Garcia took home the trophy the following year (2011) but due to government budget cuts, among other political issues, the 2012 competition was removed from the European Tour’s schedule.
The new Masters tournament returned in 2017 with Garcia successfully defending his 2011 title. He went on to “three-peat” in 2018.
History: Tournament Names
- Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters (2019-21)
- Andalucía Valderrama Masters (2017-18)
- Andalucía Masters (2011)
- Andalucía Valderrama Masters (2010)
History: Winners
2020: John Catlin (+2)
2019: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-10)
2018: Sergio Garcia (-12)
2017: Sergio Garcia (-12)
2011: Sergio Garcia (-6)
2010: Graeme McDowell (-3)
History: Records
- Low Score: 272 (-12) Sergio Garcia (2017)
- Course Record: 62 (-9) Bernhard Langer (1994 Volvo Masters)
The Course: Valderrama
The Valderrama Royal Club is one of the best known golf clubs in all of Europe. Located in the Andalusia region of southern Spain, a few miles from Gibraltar, Valderrama is considered one of the most revered and challenging golf courses in the world.
Robert Trent Jones designed the then “Sotogrande New” in 1974. Jaime Ortiz-Patiño purchased the course in 1984, and immediately hired Jones to reconstruct “his masterpiece.” The redesign was completed in 1985 and renamed “Valderrama.”
Valderrama has played host to the Ryder Cup (1997), the Volvo Masters, the World Golf Championships, the Andalucía Masters, and the Open de España.
The signature hole is No. 4, a 564-yard par five known as “La Cascada.” The picturesque hole ends with a smallish two-tiered green built alongside a rocky ledge of cascading water which flows into a greenside pond.
The Field
Reigning U.S. Open Champion Jon Rahm headlines the field in his native country. Two of the 26-year-old’s seven European Tour victories have come on Spanish soil, and Rahm now has his sights on capturing another home title on one of Europe’s most-renowned golf courses.
In his last appearance at Valderrama in 2019, which became the first course on Continental Europe to host the Ryder Cup in 1997, Rahm finished runner-up to Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Joining Rahm will be compatriot, and newly minted Open de Espana champion, Rafa Cabrera Bello, who last teed it up at Real Club Valderrama in 2016.
Other marquee names include Adri Arnaus, Matt Fitzpatrick, Thomas Pieters, Martin Kaymer, Bernd Wiesberger, Robert MacIntyre, Shubhankar Sharma, Eddie Pepperell, Victor Perez, Thorbjorn Olesen, Chris Wood and Min Woo Lee, among others.
Journeyman Javier Ballesteros will also tee it up at Valderrama – the very same hallowed grounds where his iconic father Seve captained the European Ryder Cup team to victory in 1997.
Top-5 Betting Favorites
1. Jon Rahm (3-1)
2. Matt Fitzpatrick (12-1)
3. Bernd Wiesberger (18-1)
4. Adri Arnaus (25-1)
4. Martin Kaymer (25-1)
4. Thomas Pieters (25-1)
Field: Rank and Odds
Andalucía Masters | Real Club Valderrama | Sotogrande, Spain | Oct. 14-17, 2021
Up Next
Headlined by two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, the Mallorca Golf Open will be contested October 21-24, 2021 at Golf Santa Ponsa in Mallorca, Spain.
The tournament is intended to be a one-off event and is the first European Tour event to be played in Mallorca since the Iberdrola Open in 2011.
2021 European Tour Schedule
- 10/21-24: Mallorca Golf Open
- 11/04-07: Portugal Masters
- 11/11-14: AVIV Dubai Championship
- 11/18-21: DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
