Sergio Garcia, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Martin Kaymer are among the players who have made the trip from the Masters Tournament straight to the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, as the European Tour reaches European soil for the first time in 2016.
The trio will swap Augusta National for one of Europe’s leading golf courses, Real Club Valderrama, with Garcia taking on the role of host at his national Open for the first time.
Garcia played with Green Jacket winner Danny Willett for the first opening three rounds in the first Major Championship of the season last week, and he is expecting another tough test on a course where he won the 2011 Andalucia Masters.
Sergio Garcia
“The course looks amazing. It’s playing hard, the rough is as thick as ever and the greens are great. They are rolling quite fast and they have a good firmness, not extremely firm, but they still release. With a little bit of breeze that’s just what we expect from Valderrama.”
Rafa Cabrera Bello
“I was really hoping it would be a lot easier having played Augusta last week, but I played it today and it is still very tough. It is tight off the tees and the greens are small and quick and the rough is up, so it will be very tough. But I’m looking forward to it.”
Martin Kaymer
“It is a golf course you would like to win on during your career. Valderrama, Wentworth, St Andrews – these are the core of The European Tour, so I wanted to give it another go. I know the way I approached the game the last two months is not how I should score. But last week I played well and the golf course was fantastic. On the greens I struggled, but that is fine. If I continue the way I played, I should be fine.”
