| 1975 |
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The
Las Aves ("Sotogrande New") new course - designed
by Robert Trent Jones - is opened. Owned by former US Army
man Joe McMicking, it was run more as a golfing facility than
a club, with its Andalucian-style clubhouse also used as a
cinema for local residents. During the Portugal revolution,
three-times British Open champion Henry Cotton acted as golf
director to help with the promotion of real estate (he was
to be succeeded by Tony Jacklin). |
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1984
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Retired
banker Paul Jeanty suggests to Bolivian tin millionaire Jaime
Ortiz-Patiño, who had retired to live in Sotogrande
and play golf, that he should buy the then Las Aves course
and run it as an exclusive club for himself and friends. Concerned
that the locals might be less than keen on a foreigner owning
prime real estate, Sr Ortiz-Patiño recommends that a
consortium of eight high-powered businessmen - either living
on the estate or frequent visitors - should buy the course.
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1985
Sep
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The new club is incorporated.
Trent-Jones is commissioned to redesign the course, which is
renamed Valderrama, after the finca (small country estate)
originally purchased by McMicking.
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1988
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Sr Ortiz-Patiño decides
to renumber the course - reversing the front and back nines
- in order to incorporate the more testing and better finishing
holes on the back.
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1988
Oct
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Nick Faldo wins the inaugural
Volvo Masters - season grand-finale of the European Tour -
at Valderrama (subsequent winners, in order, were: Ronan Rafferty,
Mike Harwood, Rodger Davis, Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie,
Bernhard Langer, Alexander Cejka, Mark McNulty). |
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1989
Jun
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Sr Ortiz-Patiño assumes
complete control, buying out the other shareholders.
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1991
Sep
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Valderrama founder-president
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño attends the Ryder Cup match at Kiawah
Island, where he becomes convinced his club would be able to
host the 1997 competition just as well, if not better. |
|
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Valderrama founder-president
Jaime Ortiz-Patiño
|
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1992
Apr
|
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A surprise press conference
is called at Valderrama, where it is announced that the club
is officially applying to host the 1997 Ryder Cup. The application
is reinforced by an exhaustive and elaborate presentation book
outlining the advantages of holding the event at Valderrama.
A press conference is also held the next day in London. Several
other Spanish courses also subsequently announce their candidature.
Severiano Ballesteros favours Novo Sancti Petri (Cádiz),
which he designed. The Spanish Golf Federation, based in Madrid,
plumps for the Real Club de Madrid. The arguments become somewhat
heated. |
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1994
May
|
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The European Tour announces
Valderrama as the 1997 Ryder Cup venue. Executive director
Ken Schofield says: “The five main criteria that went
into choosing Valderrama were the preparation of the course,
the quality of the course, the locality, the accessibility
and the accommodation. We had a year-long review of nine venues.
They are all excellent venues but only one could be chosen.
The Ryder Cup Committee felt strongly that Valderrama fitted
the bill in every way.”
The other eight were: Real Club de Campo de Madrid, La Moraleja II and
RACE (Madrid), El Saler (Valencia), La Manga (Murcia), Montecastillo (Jerez),
Novo Sancti Petri and Real Golf de Sevilla. The final decision was taken
from a short-list of El Saler, La Manga, La Moraleja II, Novo Sancti Petri
and Valderrama.
Ballesteros offers a truce to Valderrama, noting: “I think it is
great that Spain will be the hosts of the 1997 Ryder Cup. It will take
golf in my homeland to a new level of excitement and appreciation for all
golfers, rich or poor. I know that all the other clubs who were hoping
to be selected are greatly disappointed. I wanted Novo Sancti Petri but
life sometimes is not sweet. We do not always get what we want. Everyone
must forget hard feelings and work together in assisting Mr Patiño,
Valderrama and the Ryder Cup Committee to show the world that Spain is
worthy of hosting this magnificent golf event.” Ballesteros is commissioned
by Sr Ortiz-Patiño to re-design the contentious 17th. |
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1995
Sep
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After losses in 1991 and 1993,
captain Bernard Gallacher leads Europe to victory over the
US at Oak Hill and announces his retirement. Ballesteros is
subsequently named as the first “Continental” captain
in the history of the event.
|
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1997
May
|
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Speaking during the Spanish
Open, Jose Maria Olazabal says he does not believe Tiger Woods
will have as much impact as many people are predicting. “The
Ryder Cup is a special tournament, it’s a team of 12
players, not just one player; it’s not played medal,
but matchplay; it’s not Augusta, but Valderrama. These
are a series of combined factors that could mean the beast
is not such a beast. You have to adapt to the team; you’re
not playing alone.”
Ballesteros says he is pleased Tiger Woods will be in the team because he wants
to see the best 12 American players. “I wouldn’t want to beat a team
that wasn’t strong.”
Tiger Woods tries to deflect the attention centred on his Cup debut. Referring
to his resounding Masters victory the month before, he says: “I don’t
feel I have sent any type of message at all. It is difficult for one guy to send
a message to a whole team. The Ryder Cup is totally different from the majors.
When I play in a major I am just there for myself and representing the United
States is a totally different experience. When the national anthems are played
and the flags raised, a whole new situation develops; you are playing for others
and not just yourself.”
US captain Tom Kite also enters the Tiger debate, observing: “I know Tiger
is very excited about playing in the match. He said last November that his number
one goal was to make the team. Matchplay against professionals, rather than amateurs,
will be somewhat different but he has already proved he can handle just about
any situation.” |
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1997
Jul
|
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Accompanied by two bodyguards,
Tiger Woods makes his much-awaited first appearance on the
Coast for a practice session, pre British Open, with US captain
Tom Kite and five other players. Before returning promptly
to his private jet in Gibraltar, and the trip to Troon, Woods
says he does not believe his long-hitting will be much of an
advantage “because positional play is important. The
greens are small and fast, and I will be hitting mainly two
irons and three woods off the tee”. |
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1997
Sep
|
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Tiger Woods fails to deliver,
winning just one and a half points out of a possible five (including
defeat against Costantino Rocca in the final-day singles),
as the Europeans win by the barest of margins, 14 and a half
to 13 and a half.
|
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1999
Ene
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|
Valderrama is included in the
new-season schedule as the venue for the third of the fledgeling
World Golf Championships (the other two are held in the US)
- each with total prizemoney of $5 million, including $1 million
for the winner.
|
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1999
Oct
|
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Payne Stewart, the reigning
US Open champion, is killed in a mysterious air accident while
travelling with colleagues on his private Lear jet one week
before the American Express Championship.
|
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1999
Nov
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Several leading Americans, including
David Duval and Mark O’Meara, decide to miss the WGC,
but the press is still able to savour a duel between Woods
and Sergio Garcia, winner and runner-up, respectively, of the
year’s final major, the US PGA.
Woods opens with an even-par 71 and Garcia a 74, as 1998 US PGA champion
Vijay Singh leads with a 67. Unheralded Americans Chris Perry and Tim Herron
lead at the halfway point on 137 (Woods 140; Garcia 143). Miguel Angel
Jimenez, fresh from becoming the first Spanish winner of the Volvo Masters
the week before at Montecastillo (Jerez), moves into a share of the third-round
lead (on 209) with Perry (Woods 210; Garcia 212).
Woods seems to be heading for victory until an unfortunate triple bogey
on the precarious 17th. He finishes on 278, as Jimenez prepares to tee
off on the 18th needing just a par-four for victory.
The Spaniard narrowly misses a long putt for par, and joins Woods on the
10th tee for the first extra hole. Woods birdies the hole and is proclaimed
champion. Garcia finishes seventh (285), and the other Spaniard in the
field, Jose Maria Olazabal, 11th (286). Jimenez’s consolation is
a cheque for 341,276 euros (approximately 57 million pesetas) and fourth
place in the final order of merit for the second consecutive year.
|
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2000
Ene
|
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Valderrama is once again included
in the schedule as the venue for the American Express Championship
(November 9-12).
One of the few left-handers on any of the major tours, Mike
Weir dropped a shot on the last but still had a two-stroke
cushion over Lee Westwood, who nevertheless had the ample
consolation of overtaking Darren Clarke and finishing number
one on the 2000 Volvo Order of Merit. Weir, the winner
of just one previous tournament on the US Tour, the 1999
Air Canada Championship, collected a cheque for $1 million,
while Westwood won one pound from a bet with Clarke in August
("after a few too many drinks"). The Englishman
closed with a five-under-par 68 to finish on 279, nine clear
of his Irish friend. Reigning US Masters champion Vijay Singh
closed with a 68 to take a share of third with Duffy Waldorf
on 280; and Sergio García, Padraig Harrington, Nick
Price and Tiger Woods were fifth on 281. |
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2002
Nov
|
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After one year of "rest" for
the course, The Volvo Masters returns to Valderrama
and gives the tournament an even more challenging flavour.
Colin
Montgomerie said it was an “appropriate” result – and
it was hard to disagree with him. When darkness descended
on Valderrama, two holes into a play-off for the 2002 Volvo
Masters
Andalucía title, Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer
shook hands and agreed to share the trophy (a new one was
made,
so they actually have one each).
|
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2003
Oct
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Carlos Rodiles almost had the chance of becoming the first Spaniard to win at Valderrama (apart from the 1997 Ryder Cup) – and, more importantly, winning his first European Tour title. In the end, however, amidst intense Spanish disappointment, it was Fredrik Jacobson who took the Volvo Masters Andalucía title and achieved various firsts of his own: the first Swede to win three official European Tour events in the same season; the first wire-to-wire winner of the Volvo Masters Andalucía; and the first time he had won more than one million euros in a season. He also emulated fellow Swede Anders Forsbrand, who finished fourth on the 1992 Volvo Order of Merit (and who, ironically, used to represent Valderrama on the Tour). It had taken Jacobson 160 Tour events coming into 2003 before he won his first event, then he reeled off three in 18 starts.
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