Publicidad lateral Grande
Publicidad lateral Grande
Sergio García says he is excited to be returning to his favourite golf course for next month’s Real Club Valderrama Open de España, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation.
With just two weeks to go until the European Tour’s Race to Dubai reaches European soil for the first time in 2016, the Ryder Cup star has outlined his charitable initiatives for his national Open, as he takes on the role of tournament host for the first time at Real Club Valderrama in San Roque, Andalucía.
The Spaniard has also announced his Ryder Cup teammate and two-time Major Champion, Martin Kaymer, will join him in the field for the €2million event, which takes place from April 14-17.
García left with the trophy the last time the European Tour visited Real Club Valderrama five years ago for the 2011 Andalucía Valderrama Masters, and he is looking forward to returning one of Europe’s most iconic venues, which also hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup.
“Valderrama is an extremely special place for me,” said García. “It is my favourite golf course in the world and it is one of the best courses we have in the world, definitely in Spain and around Europe.
“It is a shame we haven’t played there for five years since the last Andalucía Masters was there in 2011, so I’m very excited to be going back. The golf course, I heard, is looking great as always and everyone at Valderrama is extremely excited to have us there again.”
García is also relishing the chance to take on the role of tournament host and through his Foundation, which was set up in 2002, he will raise money and awareness for the Asociación Espanola Contra el Cáncer (AECC), the largest cancer charity based in Spain. Funds raised at the tournament will provide accommodations for families whilst their children are undergoing cancer treatment.
“It is going to be busier than usual for me at the Spanish Open but it is going to be worth it, every bit of it,” he said. “Anytime I can get my Foundation involved in anything like this, I love doing it. I am going to give it my best shot and hope it comes out as well as possible.
“I am very excited about it. I talked to Keith Pelley (European Tour Chief Executive) at the end of last year about the possibility of doing it and I didn’t know if it would be this year, but the situation came around and now I’m very excited about it and I hope to do it for many more years.
“My whole team is working on ensuring everything is done the best way possible and to arrange where the money for the foundation will go. We are all excited about the things we can achieve.
“My foundation does several things. We have done golf schools for professionals to teach disabled people to get into the game, both on the mental and physical side, and we give money to other charities. This year, at the Spanish Open we are going to be giving the money to the Asociación Espanola Contra el Cáncer, which is a cancer foundation in Spain. They rent some apartments for the families of cancer patients who can’t afford them and it allows these families to be together.
“Any time you can do something like this and help people who need it, it’s great. I couldn’t be more proud of it and it makes you feel good to be able to help. It’s important for us as players to do something like this and not only play golf but do some extra things.
“We are very fortunate to be able to do what we do and do it well, which means we get paid nicely. So it’s nice to be able to help people who need it the most. Rory McIlroy is doing it with his tournament, the Irish Open, and I’m doing it with the Spanish Open, which is amazing for me, and the more people we can help, the better it is for everyone.”
In addition to his Foundation’s involvement, García has used his role as tournament host to recruit former US PGA and US Open champion Kaymer, who returns to the tournament for the first time since his rookie campaign in 2007.
The pair have forged a strong friendship during their time together on The European Tour, having also featured on the same European Team in the last two Ryder Cups, and Kaymer is looking forward to supporting the Spaniard’s efforts as tournament host.
“It is a great idea to have players hosting tournaments,” said the German. “It is important we as players get more involved. It is good for the game, for the European Tour and for the foundations we have which not many people know about. Therefore we need to support each other in these events, and it is important that we talk about it and show real interest.”
Like García, Kaymer has previous experience of Real Club Valderrama, having finished tied sixth in the 2007 Volvo Masters and inside the top 25 at both the 2010 and 2011 Andalucía Masters, and he also shares his host’s affinity for the venue.
“Valderrama is one of the most iconic golf courses in Europe,” he said. “I think it is one of the courses the European Tour should go back to every year. It is very challenging from the tee. You need to hit all kinds of tee shots: fades, draws, low, high and even when you hit the fairway you can be blocked by trees.
“So you need to have a good strategy for the golf course. The greens are very small so it is all about ball striking – it is never going to be a putting competition. Any day, if you shoot something around par it is a very good score, but shooting a round of 68 or 75 can be very close together, so that is the exciting part about Valderrama.
“It is important that have a tournament in Spain and at an amazing golf course. We went there in my first season in 2007 and it was our season finale. Hopefully for the next few years we can go back there and play an event. There are a lot of Germans around there so I get a lot of support and it is a very nice spot in Spain.”
