Volvo Masters
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sotogrande, Spain |
| Established | 1988 |
| Course(s) | Valderrama Golf Club |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 6,952 yards |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | €4,000,000 |
| Month played | October |
| Final year | 2008 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 269 M Á Jiménez (1999) |
| To par | −19 (as above) |
| Final champion | |
 Søren Kjeldsen | |
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, except for a five-year period between 1997 and 2001, was always held at Valderrama Golf Club in Andalusia, Spain.
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
| Year | Winner | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volvo Masters | |||
| 2008 | Søren Kjeldsen | Denmark | 276 (−8) |
| 2007 | Justin Rose |  England | 283 (−1)PO |
| 2006 | Jeev Milkha Singh |  India | 282 (−2) |
| 2005 | Paul McGinley |  Ireland | 274 (−10) |
| Volvo Masters Andalucia | |||
| 2004 | Ian Poulter | England | 277 (−7)PO |
| 2003 | Fredrik Jacobson |  Sweden | 276 (−12)PO |
| 2002* | Bernhard Langer Colin Montgomerie |  Germany Scotland | 281 (−3)PO |
| 2001** | Pádraig Harrington | Ireland | 204 (−12) |
| Volvo Masters | |||
| 2000 | Pierre Fulke | Sweden | 272 (−16) |
| 1999 | Miguel Ángel Jiménez |  Spain | 269 (−19) |
| 1998 | Darren Clarke |  Northern Ireland | 271 (−17) |
| 1997** | Lee Westwood | England | 200 (−16) |
| 1996 | Mark McNulty |  Zimbabwe | 276 (−8) |
| 1995 | Alex Čejka | Germany | 282 (−2) |
| 1994 | Bernhard Langer | Germany | 276 (−8) |
| 1993 | Colin Montgomerie | Scotland | 274 (−10) |
| 1992 | Sandy Lyle | Scotland | 287 (+3)PO |
| 1991 | Rodger Davis |  Australia | 280 (−4) |
| 1990 | Mike Harwood | Australia | 286 (+2) |
| 1989 | Ronan Rafferty | Northern Ireland | 282 (−6) |
| 1988 | Nick Faldo | England | 284 (−4) |
* – In 2002, Langer and Montgomerie were level after two holes of a play-off when darkness fell, and agreed to share the title.
** – The 1997 and 2001 tournaments were cut to just three rounds due adverse weather.
References
- ↑ "European Tour schedule to feature Andalucia Masters at Valderrama". Golf Monthly. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-22.