Nº 280 - DECEMBER 2018 - FREE COPY

The The province aspires to host the Muñoz comes moves one step world’s biggest second in the women’s golf Open de España closer to Malaga tournament in 2023 Anne van Dam denied the Malaga golfer the chance to win the tournament for the third time [P4]

EUROPEAN TOUR Cañizares regains his Tour card

The local star has fought back after a year blighted by injury and personal problems [P5]

Golf tourist destination: Marbella

This Malaga town is widely rec- ognised for the quality of its courses which cater for all lev- els, all year round [P6]

:: GETTY 2 ANDALUCÍA December 2018 COSTA DEL GOLF

Malaga, one step closer to hosting the Solheim Cup in 2023 The regional government, the Costa del Sol Tourist Board and the Mancomunidad are finalising an agreement to bring this women’s competition to Spain for the first time

ALBERTO event of this type”, which is so- GÓMEZ mething the organisation of the La- dies European Tour (LET) insists upon for the Solheim Cup. Several courses in Malaga province, he says,“pass the cut demanded by the he Solheim Cup, the organisation in terms of competiti- women’s version of the Ry- ve level, length, expanse, mainte- der Cup, is gradually get- nance, equipment, machinery and T ting closer to the Costa del organisation of staff”. Sol. The Malaga provincial govern- Another requirement is that the ment is still trying to negotiate an courses have spacious areas for agreement with the European Tour stands and hospitality marquees, to host the competition in which because world-famous events of this the USA and Europe face each other type attract thousands of golf fans every two years, in 2023. Also at the during the competition. negotiating table are the Junta de Apart from meeting these condi- Andalucía, the Mancomunidad de tions, the destination also “easily Municipios of the Western Costa exceeds other requirements, such del Sol, the Royal Golf Federation as the capacity and quality of hotels of Andalucía (RFGA) and the Span- on the Costa del Sol, and the con- ish Royal Golf Federation (RFEG). nections between Malaga province If the attempt is successful, this will and the principal airports in Europe,” be the first time since its creation says Bendodo. in 1990 that the Solheim Cup has The Costa del Sol’s candidacy, an- taken place in Spain, and only the nounced during the World Travel fourth time outside Britain. Market in London after a meeting The president of the Costa del Sol with representatives of the Ladies Tourist Board, Elías Bendodo, says European Tour, “is a historic oppor- that Malaga province has all the te- tunity which we can’t afford to chnical requirements, tourist faci- miss,” he says. lities and infrastructure necessary The Malaga provincial govern- to host the Solheim Cup, which is ment considers that its application the biggest women’s golf event in to host the Solheim Cup “is unbeat- the world. able and would be a recognition of Bendodo points out that the wo- the effort we put in to promoting men’s Open de España was held at women’s golf. This is evident be- La Quinta Golf & Country Club in cause we have hosted the Open de Benahavís, something which “con- España for three years as well as 62 firms that the Costa del Sol is a lea- per cent of the biggest women’s ding destination” in this sector. He tournaments which have taken also insists that “the province ful- place in Andalucía, such as the An- fils all the technical characteristics dalucía Cup, the Interclub, the Irma and has all the tourist infrastructu- Stemmann Selections Trophy and re needed to host a world sporting The Solheim Cup was created in 1990 and is very similar in format to the Ryder Cup. :: GETTY the International Pitch and Putt

tors, and although there is no ments after years of ‘drought’ SEARCHING FOR A information about the econo- because of the economic crisis. mic impact, the income from The Junta de Andalucía is SUITABLE the sale of tickets and mer- committed to promoting the SONDHEIM COURSE chandising would go directly to region’s golf facilities via ma- the organisers. The amount of jor tournaments, aware that the investment would be offset competitions like the Masters by the publicity for the desti- at Valderrama have a potential The course upon which the nation, thanks to international audience of more than 400 mi- Solheim Cup would be played coverage of the Solheim Cup. llion homes with 15 hours of has yet to be chosen, although The European Tour, however, live TV broadcasts in source Marbella council has already would keep the TV rights. markets such as the UK, Fran- expressed an interest in parti- Sources consulted by this ce, Germany and the USA. cipating so it could well be pla- publication agree that the There are 102 golf courses in yed on one of the courses in three institutions are very Andalucía, of which approxi- that municipality. keen to organise the event, as mately half are in Malaga pro- The competition would part of the commitment to vince and just over 20 per cent attract around 70,000 specta- attract professional tourna- in Cadiz. The LET insists different technical requirements are met. :: GETTY December 2018 ANDALUCÍA 3 COSTA DEL GOLF M

Championship”. major benefit for golf tourism, Costa del Sol still has a considerable Although he has not mentioned which is one of the most important margin for growth. specific dates, Elías Bendodo is con- sectors in the province, because “it Golf tourism in Malaga province fident that within a short time “we is an excellent way of attracting is led by players from the UK, fol- will be able to celebrate being the year-round tourism” to the area. lowed by Scandinavia, Norway, official host of the Solheim Cup, be- Although little information is France and Germany. This is an im- cause our proposal includes mak- available about the direct economic portant and strategic tourist pro- ing the Costa del Sol the mecca for impact of the Solheim Cup, the pro- file, because on average they spend women’s golf over ten years, with motors consider it “a tool of incal- 1,827 euros on their trip including the Solheim Cup taking place in the culable value for attracting Ameri- transport and accommodation, and years before and after the Spanish can visitors,” a market in which the about 148.46 euros a day on the golf Open”. course, which is far more than other types of tourist. Quality of the courses The promotors consider The biennial Solheim Cup is pla- Mark Lichtenhein, chairman of the that the tournament would yed by 12 teams representing Euro- Ladies European Tour, who attended pe and the USA and is one of the the Spanish Open, agrees that the be “ a tool of incalculable most popular sporting events in the Costa del Sol “is a prestigious des- value” in terms of publicity world. It takes place over three days, tination and is famous in the world for the Costa del Sol like the Ryder Cup, and numerous of golf for the number and quality activities are organised beforehand. of its golf courses”. He says “we must recognise the way the administra- tions have promoted women’s golf by hosting the final of the Women’s Open and, as it has more than 70 golf courses (67 per cent of all those in Andalucía), it is the European destination with the highest num- ber of facilities”. Bendodo stresses “the double im- portance” for the Costa del Sol in hosting the Solheim Cup in 2023, describing it as “a unique opportu- nity to showcase everything the whole province of Malaga has to of- fer in terms of tourism, and it will also reinforce our commitment to developing women’s golf, a field in which we have been working for years with the Royal Golf Federa- tion of Andalucía”. For the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, the Solheim Cup would be a The competition takes place every two years. :: GETTY The USA has dominated the competition in recent years. :: GETTY 4 ANDALUCÍA December 2018 COSTA DEL GOLF

Azahara Muñoz, despite missing out on a treble, has ended the season strongly. :: JOSELE-LANZA Anne van Dam holds the Open de España trophy. :: JOSELE-LANZA Azahara Muñoz narrowly misses out on Open de España hat-trick

don’t. So all that remains is for me Dutch player Anne Van Dam came out on top but the local star to congratulate Anne,” said Muñoz, who hadn’t conceded defeat and never gave up and fought right up to the final hole at La Quinta continued to fight the last two holes. Van Dam didn’t assume she had won until the 18th hole, when it was mathematically impossible for her to lose the tournament. That holes which were still pending from hesitant by then, barely managing was when she finally smiled. The ALEJANDRO the Saturday. That ended by two birdies throughout the whole tension had built up to an almost DÍAZ strengthening the position of Van course: a conservative strategy based unbearable level, and the young Dam, who then returned to the on pars which almost cost her the Dutch woman was aware that she course to play the definitive fourth victory. But at the aforementioned had been up against the ropes until round with a four-stroke advantage hole, just three away from the end just a few minutes earlier. over the Malaga player. It wasn’t of the tournament, the Malaga his year’s Andalucía Costa quite an abyss, but nearly. player sent the ball into the trees Spanish success del Sol Open de España at Despite that, Muñoz fought back and it was declared unplayable, Someone who did save her place at La Quinta Golf will be re- strongly: two consecutive birdies meaning she had to return to the the last stroke at the final hole was T membered for a long time, with the first two strokes made it tee and start again. The consequence . The veteran thanks to the tremendous battle be- clear that Van Dam wasn’t going to was a bogey against a new par by golfer recovered her position with tween the two star rivals: Azahara have it easy. As the afternoon pro- Veteran Catriona Matthew. :: J-L Van Dam, who then appeared to a masterly putt. Had she not done Muñoz, who was playing at home gressed, she kept the birdie machin- give a sigh of relief. so, she would have shared a place and hoped to achieve her third con- ery in action, a strategy which en- “I had scored four birdies and in the ranking with Spain’s Natalia secutive victory in this tournament; abled her to reduce the distance from CLASSIFICATION wanted to continue like that, but I Escuriola. and Anne van Dam, from the Neth- the Dutch player from six strokes OPEN DE ESPAÑA used the wrong club and went to Four players from ‘the Armada’ erlands, who led from the start and to two. the right, and you can’t afford to ended the day in the top ten of the maintained a moderate advantage However, just when she thought 1. Anne van Dam 271 (-13) make a mistake there. last official tournament of the sea- throughout with little fuss. she had successfully got over the 2. Azahara Muñoz 274 (-10) “It’s a shame, but I am proud that son on the European Tour. In addi- 3. Catriona Matthew 278 (-6) The two women faced each other most difficult part, an error at the T4. Natalia Escuriola 279 (-5) I fought to the end. I was aggressive tion to Muñoz and Escuriola, Luna on the final day, first thing in the 16th hole put Muñoz out of the T4. Olivia Cowan 279 (-5) and I tried to score another birdie. Sobrón and Marta Sanz took sixth morning. They played the seven game. Van Dam had become more Sometimes you win, sometimes you and eighth place respectively. December 2018 ANDALUCÍA 5 COSTA DEL GOLF M

IN BRIEF Cañizares regains European Tour Ciganda finishes the card following nightmare year year in the top 20 LGPA TOUR :: COSTA DEL GOLF. Spanish gol- fer rounded off The Malaga golfer earned medallist honours after a six-round marathon at her most successful season to date with a fifth-place finish at Qualifying School to return to the tour he first qualified for in 2006 the CME Group Tour Cham- pionship in Naples (Florida). Her placing in the final tour- nament of the season meant that Ciganda ended the season in 16th :: ALBERTO GÓMEZ After overcoming injury place in the LGPA Tour rankings, MALAGA. Alejandro Cañizares has having spent much of her career got his career back on track after a and personal problems, narrowly missing out on a top- nightmare spell, regaining his Eu- ‘Cañi’ won back his card 20 finish. ropean Tour card after earning me- after a final-day haul of dallist honours at the Qualifying School. seven birdies Spanish success in Cañizares, from Malaga, had lost Hong Kong Open his spot on the European Tour due to a combination of events. He suffe- for what has been an incredible tur- EUROPEAN TOUR red a number of poor results becau- naround which culminated at Club :: A. DÍAZ. Sergio García and Rafa se of ongoing injury concerns whi- Lumine de Tarragona in November. Cabrera Bello finished tied in sixth le, at the same time, his wife was The two-time winner on the Eu- place at the recent Hong Kong found to have what was then ropean Tour (the Imperial Collec- Open. thought to be a malignant tumour. tion Russian Open in 2006 and the The Spanish players started However, after having undergo- Trophée Hassan II in 2014) shot 66- strongly with Álvaro Quirós fin- ne treatment on his wrist from spe- 64 over the final two rounds to reach ishing the first day in fifth place. cialist Dr Ruiz Cotorro (who has also 24-under and share top spot with However, the Cadiz-born golfer worked with tennis star Rafael Na- South Africa’s Zander Lombard. soon fell away, leaving García and dal), his form has recovered. However, thanks to a superior fi- Cabrera to lead the Spanish charge. Off the course, too, things have nal round, Cañizares was given me- The pair ultimately finished improved. His wife’s tumour was dallist honours. on nine under par with 271, con- found to be benign and now the ‘Cañi’, as he is known, will now tinuing a strong end to the sea- couple are expecting their first child. be eligible to compete in all Euro- son for García. This will be the icing on the cake Cañizares, right, with the School’s champion trophy. :: GETTY pean Tour tournaments in 2019.

Miguel Ángel Jiménez led for much of the tournament. :: SUR Jiménez lets lead slip in Benidorm

STAYSURE TOUR re Tour competition, Streeter, af- :: COSTA DEL GOLF. The Costa Blan- ter hitting an impressive 156-yard ca’s date on the European Senior strike within putting distance of Tour ended with a grandstand fi- the flag, reeled in leader Jiménez nish: a face-off between local fa- who started to feel the pressure vourite, Malaga golfer Miguel Án- and commit errors. gel Jiménez, and English player This meant that Streeter only Paul Streeter in the Costa Blanca needed to birdie the final hole to Benidorm Senior Masters. become the first winner of the On the final day of this Staysu- tournament. 6 ANDALUCÍA December 2018 COSTA DEL GOLF

enced players but also those who are just beginning. One of its many attractions is that it offers three different courses, suitable for any level of handicap, high or low. Eve- Marbella, a benchmark for ryone who plays here enjoys them- selves and can find a course which best adapts to their level of play. These courses are also in a unique year-round golf tourism setting, with no noise, away from the bustle of the towns on the Costa del Sol. Also in this area is La Quinta Golf, which hosted the women’s The Costa del Sol town has outstanding golf courses, suitable for Open de España last month and at- tracted golfing legends like Laura all types of player because of their number and variety Davies, up-and-coming stars such as and the winner, Anne Van Dam, as well as Malaga’s most internationally well-known ALEJANDRO player, Azahara Muñoz. DÍAZ These are just some attractions of a destination which has 25 kilo- metres of coastline, four marinas and a fabulous climate. Marbella has the second-highest population uring the winter in Malaga and the eighth in Anda- months southern Spain lucía. It can boast a microclimate is an ideal destination which gives it a privileged average D for all types of sport temperature. tourism, which includes the golf Its beaches of white sand are sector, because the region meets another attraction, and for those all the requirements of this de- who love to shop Marbella is a spe- manding but at the same time at- cial destination on the Costa del tractive profile of visitor: quality Sol, with some of the world’s most infrastructure and a lovely climate. luxurious designer labels. In fact, Marbella is becoming increasingly its Golden Mile is famous: a four- popular with these tourists from kilometre stretch between the his- all over the world, who range from toric town centre and Puerto people who play sport for enjoy- Banús. Some of the grandest resi- ment - including golf, for which dences in Marbella are here, as well this is high season - to professional as luxury hotels like the Puente football clubs. Romano and Marbella Club. Marbella stands out for the qual- The Plaza de los Naranjos, the ity of its golf course facilities, and public square which was built af- this makes it a favourite destina- ter the Christian conquest of Mar- tion all year round. It boasts some The area’s golf courses are part of Costa del Sol history and very popular at this time of year. :: SUR bella, is home to the Santiago truly emblematic clubs such as Río church, the town hall and the Casa Real, an enclave in the most privi- del Corregidor, all built between leged area of Marbella, just five There are iconic clubs such the 15th and 16th centuries. This minutes from the town centre and is the very oldest part of the town, inaugurated in 1965. The course as Río Real, in the most with quaint whitewashed houses runs beside the Real river, after privileged area of and balconies of colourful flowers which it is named, and the river Marbella, just five minutes in pots. Close to the square is the forms an integral part of the course, chapel of San Juan de Dios and the accompanying it all the way down from the town centre church of Santo Cristo de la Vera, to the Mediterranean Sea. both from the 16th century, and Another renowned club in Mar- La Encarnación church, from the bella is Aloha, which has hosted 17th. The latter has three naves and the Andalucía Open three times. the main entrance, carved in Ro- In parkland style and with a par number of professional and ama- coco style from ochre-coloured 72, it has the traditional design of teur championships have been stone, is a real marvel. four par five holes, ten par four and played at Los Naranjos. For exam- four par three, distributed uni- ple, in 1988 it hosted the Marbella History formly over the two rounds. Ladies Open, part of the Ladies The old town of Marbella still has The two courses at the Real Club European Tour, in which Laurette remains of the wall which used to de Guadalmina are an important Maritz from South Africa played surround the town during the part of the history of the Costa del and won the tournament. In 1989 Marbella is the place to shop for luxury designer labels. :: SUR Moorish era, and the castle. On one Golf, and some of the best Span- the club hosted the Spanish PGA tower Roman capitals can be seen, ish golfers and famous figures from Championship, in which José Riv- which shows that even older build- all over the world have played here. ero and Severiano Ballesteros both ing materials had been used to One of its attractions is the loca- took part. build the defensive precinct. The tion, very near San Pedro Alcán- Another jewel of this sport is Bazán Hospital, in the same area, tara but also situated strategically Cabopino Golf, on the eastern side is now the Contemporary Spanish close to Marbella, at the heart of of Marbella and opposite Cabop- Print Museum, housing works by the Costa del Golf. The land of the ino marina. The 18-hole course was Picasso, Miró, Tapies and Chillida. original estate proved perfect for designed by architect Juan Ligués As well as these treasures, Mar- these facilities. Guadalmina has Creus and has spectacular views bella offers lovely beaches, beau- two 18-hole golf courses and a nine- of the Mediterranean as well as a tiful mountains and gardens, and hole par three. There is also a prac- lovely array of trees, including an infinite range of restaurants and tice course for 40 players with an many magnificent pines. leisure facilities. This town has all indoor platform with 21 places, Also in the Marbella area is the the ingredients to be the epicen- chipping, practice bunker and put- Villa Padierna Golf Resort, whose tre of the most coveted tourism in ting green. courses form an important part of the whole of Europe and also, now, Los Naranjos, meanwhile, is one the Costa del Golf. Some of the best America. It should also be remem- of the best golf courses on the golfers in the world have played bered that ‘Costa del Sol’ means Costa del Sol and is right in the here. The courses at Villa Padierna ‘Sun Coast’ and takes its name from heart of Marbella. Since its crea- are famous because their rounds the fact that it has around 3,000 tion in the mid-1970s, a significant are not only suitable for experi- Puerto Banús, always lively. :: SUR hours of sunshine every year. December 2018 ANDALUCÍA 7 COSTA DEL GOLF M

 Tourism. The THE MONTH IN PICTURES regional Sports and Tourism departments hosted a stand at the Signature Travel Net- work conference in Las Vegas from 27 to 30 November. This was the first time that Andalucía, pro- moting golf tourism as one of its main at- tractions, was repre- sented at this impor- tant event -one of the biggest for op- erators in North America. :: SUR

La Cañada. La Cañada golf club in San Roque recently pre- Race to Dubai. Ital- sented plans for its new high performance centre which will be ian Francesco Molinari constructed in early 2019. The new centre will benefit 270 chil- rounded off his best season dren who belong to the club. :: RFAG to date with victory at the Race to Dubai in November. The British Open winner and star of the Ryder Cup has finished the season as European number one. :: EFE

Charity. The Seve Ballesteros Foundation has received Published by Prensa 100,000 euros from the EurAsia Cup 2018 organisation which, Malagueña, S.A. alongside proceeds from the ongoing Seve & Jon Golf For Kids tour Director General José Luis Romero (pictured), will go towards cancer research. :: J. BARRENECHEA

Andalucía Costa del Golf is a Diario SUR publication

Editor in chief Manuel Castillo 2018 / 19 AGENDA Director of publications Pedro Luis Gómez Production 7 December 11 May Universitario 2019 Aloha Alberto Gómez Playa Serena Aloha Open tournament Memorial Ibarrondo Alejandro Díaz Gran Premio Marbella Open Torneo Benéfico Concordia Open tournament Open tournament Open tournament 13 July Advertising Aloha 13 August Corporación de Medios 15 December 8 June Torneo Benéfico Horizonte Aloha del Sur, S.L. Campanario Aloha Open tournament Torneo Junior Final Nacional ‘pitch and putt’ Torneo Benéfico Niños Mariposa Open tournament Telephone: 952 649 700 Fax: 952 612591 Open tournament Open tournament 20 July Aloha 17 August 9 January 17 June Torneo infantil Aloha Guadalmina Lauro Open tournament Torneo padre e hijos Copa de Andalucía Femenina Interautonómico Absoluto Open tournament 2019. II Puntuable Nacional 2019 Femenino 2019 3 August Open tournament Open tournament Aloha 22 August We would like to hear from you! Please send any golfing news Valle del Golf Aloha - Brisas Bil Bil Golf from your clubs to Atalaya Park 24 June Open tournament Campeonato de España Sub 16 y [email protected] Copa de Andalucía Masculina Antequera Golf Benjamín de Pitch & Putt 2019 Open tournament Campeonato de Europa 10 August Open tournament MA- 343 96 8 ANDALUCÍA COSTA DEL GOLF December 2018