Volvo Masters

Volvo Masters
Tournament information
LocationSotogrande, Spain
Established1988
Course(s)Valderrama Golf Club
Par71
Length6,952 yards (6,357 m)
Tour(s)European Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund4,000,000
Month playedOctober
Final year2008
Tournament record score
Aggregate269 Miguel Ángel Jiménez (1999)
To par−19 as above
Final champion
Denmark Søren Kjeldsen
Location map
Valderrama GC is located in Spain
Valderrama GC
Valderrama GC
Location in Spain
Valderrama GC is located in Andalusia
Valderrama GC
Valderrama GC
Location in Andalusia

The Volvo Masters was the concluding official money event of the European Tour season until 2009, when it was replaced by the Dubai World Championship. The event was founded in 1988 and held at Valderrama Golf Club in Andalusia, Spain, except for a five-year period between 1997 and 2001 when Montecastillo Golf Club played host to the tournament.

The tournament reverted to its original name of "Volvo Masters" in 2005, having been known as the "Volvo Masters Andalucia" between 2000 and 2003 for sponsorship reasons. The prize money for the inaugural event was £351,690, and by 2008, this had increased to over €4 million, making it one of the richest events on the tour. The field consists of the top 60 leading money winners on the European Tour, and from 2005, an invitation has also been issued to the previous years winner regardless of their standing on the money list.

Prior to 2007, the Volvo Masters was held one week before The Tour Championship to allow golfers who are members of both the European and PGA Tours to participate, but this changed after the PGA Tour rescheduled their event to mid-September.

Following a one-year absence from the calendar, Valderama returned to the European Tour schedule in 2010 with the Andalucía Valderrama Masters under the sponsorship of Turismo Andaluz (Andalucia Government Tourism Organization).[1]

Winners

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European Tour (Tour Championship) 1988–2008
# Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
Volvo Masters
21st 2008 Denmark Søren Kjeldsen 276 −8 2 strokes Germany Martin Kaymer
England Anthony Wall
20th 2007 England Justin Rose 283 −1 Playoff England Simon Dyson
Denmark Søren Kjeldsen
19th 2006 India Jeev Milkha Singh 282 −2 1 stroke England Luke Donald
Spain Sergio García
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
18th 2005 Republic of Ireland Paul McGinley 274 −10 2 strokes Spain Sergio García
Volvo Masters Andalucía
17th 2004 England Ian Poulter 277 −7 Playoff Spain Sergio García
16th 2003 Sweden Freddie Jacobson 276 −12 Playoff Spain Carlos Rodiles
15th 2002 Germany Bernhard Langer (2)
Scotland Colin Montgomerie (2)
281 −3 Title shared[a]
14th 2001 Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington 204[b] −12 1 stroke Republic of Ireland Paul McGinley
Volvo Masters
13th 2000 Sweden Pierre Fulke 272 −16 1 stroke Northern Ireland Darren Clarke
12th 1999 Spain Miguel Ángel Jiménez 269 −19 2 strokes South Africa Retief Goosen
Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
Germany Bernhard Langer
11th 1998 Northern Ireland Darren Clarke 271 −17 2 strokes Scotland Andrew Coltart
10th 1997 England Lee Westwood 200[b] −16 3 strokes Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington
9th 1996 Zimbabwe Mark McNulty 276 −8 7 strokes Argentina José Cóceres
Scotland Sam Torrance
South Africa Wayne Westner
England Lee Westwood
8th 1995 Germany Alex Čejka 282 −2 2 strokes Scotland Colin Montgomerie
7th 1994 Germany Bernhard Langer 276 −8 1 stroke Spain Seve Ballesteros
Fiji Vijay Singh
6th 1993 Scotland Colin Montgomerie 274 −10 1 stroke Northern Ireland Darren Clarke
5th 1992 Scotland Sandy Lyle 287 +3 Playoff Scotland Colin Montgomerie
4th 1991 Australia Rodger Davis 280 −4 1 stroke England Nick Faldo
3rd 1990 Australia Mike Harwood 286 +2 1 stroke England Steven Richardson
Scotland Sam Torrance
2nd 1989 Northern Ireland Ronan Rafferty 282 −6 1 stroke England Nick Faldo
1st 1988 England Nick Faldo 284 −4 2 strokes Spain Seve Ballesteros

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Title shared when darkness ended play with Langer and Montgomerie still tied after two holes of a sudden-death playoff.
  2. ^ a b Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "European Tour schedule to feature Andalucia Masters at Valderrama". Golf Monthly. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
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