Damien Kayat previews the 2023 Andalucia Masters.
2022/2023 DP World Tour
Andalucia Masters
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, San Roque, Andalucia, Spain
19th– 22nd October
What a week it was for 30-year-old Frenchman Mathieu Pavon. He ultimately coasted to a four-shot win at last week’s Open de Espana, claiming his maiden DP World Tour title at the 185th attempt. It was a barnstorming effort that essentially relegated Jon Rahm to spectator status. The tour stays in Spain this week for the 9th edition of the Andalucía Masters, a tournament that made a welcome return to the roster seven years ago.
But the much-castigated LIV Golf tour has left an indelible mark on this event going forward. Valderrama- one of the most iconic venues in European golf- had been the host course of this event since its inception. But Valderrama signed a five-year deal with LIV Golf last year that is really emblematic of the changing tides in world golf. This year’s Andalucía Masters will be hosted at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande.
This is actually a course with a fair degree of history (it happens to be the first course in Europe designed by legendary course architect Robert Trent Jones). First opened in 1964, the tour hosted the Open de Espana in 1966 (won by eventual Claret Jug winner Roberto Di Vincenzo). Roger Rulewich- in conjunction with partner David Fleury- helped oversee a renovation of the course in 2011.
The intricate layout is cut to Bermuda and features pretty wide fairways. That makes this test almost completely antithetical to the notoriously narrow test at Valderrama. The greens were reduced to their original size in 2011 and that should put a premium on surgical approach play (particularly with the presence of 69 pesky greenside bunkers). I think it’s safe to assume that decent form in Madrid should translate to success here.
I’m delighted that current US Open champion Wyndham Clark has decided to compete in Spain this week. That could be one of the fringe benefits of the new FedEx Cup Fall Series: players ranked inside the top 50 may actually be tempted to go abroad to face different challenges. Matt Kuchar joins compatriot Clark in Spain this week while Matthieu Pavon will be looking to become one of the most unlikely back-to-back winners in recent memory.
Defending champ Adrian Otaegui is always a threat in home conditions while Ryan Fox will be looking to potentially leapfrog Jon Rahm into 2nd place in the current Race to Dubai standings. Elsewhere, Ryder Cupper Robert McIntyre will be looking for a strong week while Adrian Meronk is probably still wondering how on earth he never got into Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup winning side.
Past Winners
2022: Adrian Otaegui (-19)
2021: Matt Fitzpatrick (-6)
2020: John Catlin (+2)
2019: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-10)
2018: Sergio Garcia (-12) *54 holes
2017: Sergio Garcia (-12)
Betting Favourites (To Win)
Wyndham Clark (10/1), Ryan Fox (12/1), Adrian Meronk (16/1), Alexander Bjork (22/1), Jordan Smith (22/1)
Value Bets
Adrian Otaegui- To Win (35/1), To Place (26/10)
I really think there’s decent value in backing defending champ Adrian Otaegui. He- like many of the Spanish players- tends to play well in home conditions. This was highlighted by his runaway victory at Valderrama last year. He also has useful course experience, finishing 6th here during his rookie campaign in 2014. He is in solid form, making the cut in ten of his last eleven events. Otaegui actually had an outside chance of making this year’s Ryder Cup side. He finished in a tie for 2nd at the KLM Open before being forced to serve a four-event ban due to his flirtation with LIV Golf.
Alex Fitzpatrick- To Win (50/1), To Place (11/)
Matt Fitzpatrick’s younger brother Alex has been playing really consistently of late, making his last nine consecutive cuts to finally emerge out of his brother’s Major championship winning shadow. Those results included a runner-up finish at the ISPS Handa World Invitational and a T5 at the Omega European Masters. He produced a decent T20 finish last week and I think he could thrive this week.
The Man to Beat- Ryan Fox- To Win (12/1), To Place (15/2)
I’m happy to back in-form Ryan Fox this week (especially with Wyndham Clark’s presence widening his odds). Fox currently sits 3rd in the Race to Dubai standings and he has a great shot to shine again. Fox was 3rd at the Irish Open before winning the biggest tournament of his career at Wentworth. He finished T2 last time out at the Alfred Dunhill Links and he also happened to finished 4th at Valderrama in 2021. These wide fairways will allow him to free his shoulders and his approach play has been exemplary in recent weeks.
