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
Søren Kjeldsen
Location map
Valderrama GC
Location in Spain
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

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

Notes

  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

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