European Tour announces return of Open de Andalucía at Aloha Golf Club in Spain
European Tour season is warming up as the tour coordinating committee announced on Tuesday, January 31, that the 2012 Open de Andalucía will be returning to Aloha Golf Club on Spain’s Costa del Sol after a lapse of three years.
Spain has been one of the most visited venues on the European Tour calendar in 2011, where some high profile events were held.
Being one of the top-ranked tourist destinations in the world, the country gets a reasonable share of golf fans who visit the country primarily mesmerized by the scenic courses overlooking the Mediterranean.
Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said,
“We are especially grateful to Miguel Angel Jiménez, who is a superb ambassador and host for the tournament, for his company’s commitment to staging the event. We also value the contribution by the Junta de Andalucía, Patronato de Turismo de la Costa del Sol (Diputación de Málaga), Ayuntamiento de Benahavis and Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Costa del Sol Occidental”.
The picturesque Marbella venue has been selected as the host for the star-studded event with a purse of a whooping €1-million.
The venue was host to the Open de Andalucía on the European Tour calendar in consecutive years from 2007-2008.
Frenchman Thomas Levet was the winner in the last episode of Open de Andalucía in 2008, held at the same venue, where he took over the then teenager Englishman Oliver Fisher in the Playoff.
It was Levet’s fourth European Tour victory and the Frenchman is likely to participate in the event in a bid to defend his long forgotten title.
The Par-72, tree-lined course, is designed by Spaniard Javier Arana who is one of the renowned course designer in Spain.
The course boosts of some of the scenic fairways and greens on the tour and is coupled with swirling Mediterranean winds which can be notorious for the aspiring golfers.
European Tour has already set its course for a thrilling season, starting off with two opening events in South Africa and has recently come out of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship which received one of the strongest fields in its history.
Open de Andalucía is scheduled to take place from March 15-18.
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