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The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open in Spain launches a new format

Andalusia is a land of tradition, but also of modernity; of history and progress; of deeds and daily life; of effort and dedication. All these elements can be combined to define the relationship of this community with women's professional golf and, in general, with this sport. In Las Aves (now Real Club Valderrama), in Andalusia, the women's golf open in our country was launched almost four decades ago. This year, converted into the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open in Spain, it is once again the closure of the Ladies European Tour season from November 25 to 28 at Los Naranjos Golf Club.

The first champion of that distant Spanish Open was the American Rosie Jones, a historic bastion of the Solheim Cup; the last one, Emily Kristine Pedersen has been one of the heroines of the last edition by finishing off the victory of the European team with a masterful putt in this international competition that pits Americans against Europeans and that will stop at Finca Cortesín in 2023. This year, in addition, the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open in Spain reinforces its exclusive character and will bring together a smaller squad that will compete to win the tournament title and to be awarded the circuit's order of merit.

The spectacular Marbella course, a jewel designed by the renowned Robert Trent Jones Sr., will host the 64 best players in the Ladies European Tour ranking, to which will be added eight guest golfers. In this way, the exceptionality of this event is enhanced, endowed with a €600,000 prize pool, to which another €250,000 will be added, which will be awarded to the three occupants of the podium in the annual ranking. In addition, the 64 finalists will be accompanied by eight invited participants (a balanced mix of international figures and young talents) who will round off a spectacular squad. However, and to enhance the competition under equal conditions, the points obtained in this tournament by the guests will not count for the Race to Costa del Sol, so they will not influence when establishing the game categories for the season that comes.

Los Naranjos Golf Club will act this year as a magnificent ambassador of a community that has golf as one of its sporting, tourist and economic references. As explained in the report presented at the Spanish Open held last year at the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina and carried out by the Instituto de Empresa with the collaboration of the Spanish Association of Golf Courses (AECG) and the Royal Spanish Federation of Golf (RFEG), Andalusia is the community with the largest number of golf courses (more than a hundred) with a turnover of 27.9% of the national total (216.79 million euros). In addition, the wealth generated by Andalusian golf and golf tourism in Andalusia is not limited to this area, but multiplies to reach an impact of 5,426 million euros, given that 9 out of every 10 euros spent by golf tourists benefit other providers and tourism subsectors. Golf also attracts international investment in second homes and generates quality employment in Andalusia, given that 95% of contracts at golf courses are permanent and full-time.

To the economic potential of golf, an ideal sport for deseasonalizing tourism, we must add its undeniable sporting and social strength, since this community has more than 45,000 licenses (the second community with the most federations in Spain), more than 12,000 of them feminine. The efforts of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation and the Andalusian Government to bring golf to all audiences (especially women, young people and families) serve to structure the sports reality of a community that has become a fundamental nursery of amateur golf, both in its recreational and competitive aspects.

“Andalusia is a land closely linked to golf. Our many hours of sunshine and our pleasant climate make us a perfect setting to enjoy this sport all year round. In addition, we have hosted major tournaments such as the Ryder Cup that was played in Valderrama in 1997. It was the first time that this tournament had been played in a venue other than the United States or the United Kingdom. We are a guarantee of good organization and security and those responsible for large events recognize this. That work is now rewarded with the choice of the Costa del Sol for the Solheim Cup, the women's version of the Ryder, in 2023", said Juan Marín, Vice President and Minister of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía. “Our commitment to women's sports is decisive as it has been shown that we are the headquarters of the Solheim. In addition, the name of Andalusia and the Costa del Sol is also linked to women's golf since the official earnings ranking of the Ladies European Tour bears the name of Race to Costa del Sol. We are a benchmark in high-competition sport, men and female. Millions of people know Andalusia thanks to our calendar of sporting events, a mainstay to consolidate ourselves as a world-class tourist and sports destination”.

The Andalusia Costa del Sol Open in Spain will be played, as we have already indicated, at Los Naranjos Golf Club, a benchmark in a region, the Costa del Sol, which is hosting the tournament for the eighth time in its modern stage after hosting it in Flamingos ( 2010), La Quinta (2011 and 2018), Aloha Golf (2016 and 2019), and the Real Club de Golf Guadalmina (2017 and 2020). This meticulous design, greatly improved in recent years to meet the demands of its visitors and the needs of its members, uses the undulations of the terrain to offer a beautiful golf challenge to those who face it. Its golf offer is also complemented by services worthy of the Gold Flag awarded by the prestigious 59Club platform.

In addition to its importance and its privileged location on the calendar, the tournament is part of the Solheim Cup 2023 project, a competition that will bring together women's teams from Europe and the United States for the first time in Spain that year. Both the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open in Spain and the Solheim Cup 2023 have obtained unanimous public and private support and will serve to reinforce the role of golf as a tourist attraction and that of women's sport as an essential engine of society.

The news of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España can be followed on the openfemenino.com website, the @Openfemenino Twitter account, the @spanishopen Instagram account and the @openfemenino Facebook page.

The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España 2021 is held at Los Naranjos Golf Club from November 25 to 28 and is part of the Solheim Cup 2023 programme, an event declared an Event of Exceptional Public Interest (AEIP) and which provides important tax advantages to the participating companies. The Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, the last event on the Ladies European Tour calendar, has the main sponsorship of Andalucía, Costa del Sol and Acosol, who together with the Marbella City Council and the Benahavís City Council, as well as the rest of the collaborators (ARQUIMEA Medical, Eversheds Sutherland, Kaudal, Kyocera, Mahou, PING, Reale Seguros, Audi Safamotor and Solán de Cabras) and organizing entities (Deporte & Business, Ladies European Tour, Royal Spanish Golf Federation and Royal Andalusian Golf Federation) this event possible.

Title Sponsors:

Ministry of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration of the Junta de Andalucía, Costa del Sol Tourism and Planning, Acosol – Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol.

Main sponsors:

Marbella City Council and Benahavís City Council.

Institutional sponsors:

Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Royal Andalusian Golf Federation and Los Naranjos Golf Club.

Collaborating companies:

ARQUIMEA Medical, Eversheds Sutherland, Kaudal, Kyocera, Mahou, PING, Reale Seguros, Solán de Cabras and Audi Safamotor.

Promoter and organizer:

Sport & Business