We take a look at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters set to take place at the Rael Club Valderrama in Spain from the 27th to 30th of June 2019.
The tour remains in continental Europe for the recently renewed Valderrama Masters. The European Tour- in all its wisdom- made the tournament redundant in 2012 after just two editions. It seemed strange considering the iconic nature of the course. Prior to the inaugural staging of this event in 2011, Valderrama had served as the host course for the now-defunct Volvo Masters for two separate periods.
The European Tour 2019 | Andalucía Valderrama Masters
Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain
27th-30th June
The Volvo Masters acted as the season-ending showpiece before the Race to Dubai reshuffle. It also played host to the Ryder Cup back in 1997. But senses have prevailed and the event looks set to stay for the meantime. A few Spanish superstars have made themselves available this week, which should ensure fanatical support throughout the week.
The tour remains in continental Europe for the recently renewed Valderrama Masters. The European Tour- in all its wisdom- made the tournament redundant in 2012 after just two editions. It seemed strange considering the iconic nature of the course. Prior to the inaugural staging of this event in 2011, Valderrama had served as the host course for the now-defunct Volvo Masters for two separate periods. The Volvo Masters acted as the season-ending showpiece before the Race to Dubai reshuffle. It also played host to the Ryder Cup back in 1997. But senses have prevailed and the event looks set to stay for the meantime. A few Spanish superstars have made themselves available this week, which should ensure fanatical support throughout the week.
Real Club Valderrama was designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones and was opened to the public in 1985. Valderrama is a short, tree-lined test that rewards accuracy more readily than power. The narrow Bermuda fairways slope dramatically in places, meaning that position off the tee is critical. The smaller-than-average Bentgrass greens are notoriously tricky. They actually are reminiscent of Augusta, which makes sense when you consider Sergio Garcia’s relative fortunes at the two courses. The winning scores here reveal that this event often plays to Major specifications, with fighting pars equally valuable to routine birdies.
Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia will clearly monopolize the galleries this week. Rahm has the annoying tendency of collapsing on the cusp of greatness. His travails at Sawgrass and Augusta this year bear testament to that. He will be hoping that some nostalgic home comforts may bring back that elusive winning feeling. Three-time champion Sergio Garcia will be hoping to extrapolate some of the form on display during his opening two rounds at Pebble Beach. Matthew Fitzpatrick has shown some signs of life recently and could be on the road to rediscovering his previous Ryder Cup consistency.
Past Winners
2018: Sergio Garcia (-12)
2017: Sergio Garcia (-12)
2012-2016: no event
2011: Sergio Garcia (-6)
2010: Graeme McDowell (-2)
Betting Favourites (To Win)
Jon Rahm (6/1)
Sergio Garcia (13/2)
Matthew Fitzpatrick (9/1)
Joost Luiten (20/1)
Thomas Detry (28/1)
Value Bets
Richie Ramsey- To Win (60/1), To Place (13/1)
You have to love the chances of Richie Ramsey at 60/1. He possesses that intangible ingredient for success around here: experience. He actually came close to winning on debut eight years ago, shooting an opening round 65 en route to a 3rd place finish. He finished 29th and 11th in his two trips since. His tidy short game and links scrambling abilities make him ideally suited to this layout. He also has put up some encouraging results of late, picking up top 15 finishes in China and Denmark. That was preceded by a highly notable tie for 5th at the British Masters.
Eduardo Molinari- To Win (140/1), To Place (30/1)
It seemed as if the ascension of Francesco Molinari over the past few years may have been sealed with a blood pact that guaranteed the plight of Eduardo. The two have certainly gone down divergent routes since teaming up for Ryder Cup duties some years back. But the less heralded Eduardo has started to establish some of his own momentum in recent months. He actually knocked out the aforementioned Richie Ramsay at the Belgian Knockout recently. That form only grew and he flirted with contention in Germany last week, eventually having to settle for a highly creditable 3rd. His form has improved at Valderamma over the last few years, culminating in a 22nd place finish last year. And lest we forget where he was with his game at this point last year.
The Man to Beat
Joost Luiten- To Win (20/1), To Place (44/10)
The mercurial talent that is Joost Luiten is incredibly hard to predict. It took him some time to overcome the disappointment of missing out on a trip to Le Golf National last year. But he started 2019 extremely well, with a pair of sparkling top 10 finishes in the stellar fields of Saudi Arabia and Mexico. But it all went slightly pair-shaped after that. But a recent top10 at the British Masters is enough to convince me that his form may be about to turn. Furthermore, Luiten is a veritable Valderrama aficionado. His finishes in the last three years read T11, 2nd and 2nd. The two Spaniards look far too short for me while Fitzpatrick may find it hard to challenge just a week after squandering his opportunity in Munich.
Written by Damien Kayat for Hollywoodbets
