Damien Kayat previews the 2022 edition of the DP World Tour’s Andalucía Masters taking place at Real Club Valderrama.
2021/2022 DP World Tour
Andalucía Masters
Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain
13th-16th October
I’m not going to sit here and take too much credit for that Rahm victory. But wasn’t it impressive? I’m sure he must have felt a ridiculous weight of expectation going into that final round.
But the way he surged away from the pack will give him confidence that he could once again become the main man in world golf. The tour will now move into its second week of a hat-trick of Spanish events.
This tournament returned to the DP World Tour roster five years ago- seven years since it had last been staged. It will be interesting to see if another strong Spanish contingent can break the current sequence of non-Spanish winners.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout won in 2019 before the workmanlike John Catlin bagged the title in blustery conditions in 2020. Last year, Matt Fitzpatrick once again showcased the importance of finding fairways on this treacherous layout.
This event is inextricably tied to the iconic 1997 Ryder Cup venue: Valderrama.
Real Club Valderrama
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr and opened in 1985, Valderrama is a classic throwback that is almost completely antithetical to most contemporary golf courses.
Measuring just a smidge over 7,000 yards, Valderrama is famed for its narrow tree-lined fairways. This course is not cut out for the ‘grip it and rip it’ age of golf. It requires careful planning and calculated risks.
The narrow Bermuda fairways lead to smaller-than-average bentgrass greens. It’s just lovely to see a test that favours accuracy over raw power. When Andrew Johnston won the Open de Espana at this venue five years back, he ranked first for Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation.
Those stats should once again prove crucial. Fitzpatrick’s victory last year is almost a template of what should be done to succeed here.
The Contenders
US Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick looks brilliantly poised to defend his Valderrama title. The taciturn Englishman is due a great performance and is ideally suited to this layout.
However, there are actually quite a few worthy contenders this week. Macintyre won the Italian Open last month while Rasmus Hojgaard did everything but win the French Open.
The mercurial Min-Woo Lee was within touching distance of Rahm last week and the evergreen Ryan Fox returns to action after winning the Alfred Dunhill Links. This promises to be a fascinating second leg in this Iberian Swing.
Past Winners
2021: Matt Fitzpatrick (-6)
2020: John Catlin (+2)
2019: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-12)
2018: Sergio Garcia (-12) *54 holes
2017: Sergio Garcia (-12)
Value Bets
Yannick Paul
Yannick Paul is building up beautifully in his debut season on tour. His two eighth-place finishes in the last three weeks add to his eighth at the Joburg Open, 10th at the ISPA Handa and 2nd at the Soudal Open. Currently ranked 42nd in the Race to Dubai rankings, he will be extremely motivated to finish well this week and secure a spot in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship. He ranked inside the top 10 last week in SG: Approach on Saturday and Sunday. That trend should come in handy on a course that puts an absolute premium on accurate iron play.
Adrian Otaegui
This is a Spanish player due an amazing performance. He missed the cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links. But that is an idiosyncratic event that can ruin anyone’s momentum. Otaegui has had some great finishes recently, picking up back-to-back 13th finishes at the BMW PGA Championship and the Open de France. He also has decent course form, finishing 12th in 2017 and 17th in 2020. I expect him to come right this week.
The Man to Beat- Matt Fitzpatrick
I know, I know. For the 2nd consecutive week, I’m opting for the favourite. But just as last week’s choice paid off, I feel pretty confident that Matt Fitzpatrick stands a great chance at regaining his title this week. He has already won two DP World Tour titles twice (the European Masters and DP World Tour Championship). And he arrives here in great form, losing in a playoff in Italy last month before finishing 22nd at the Alfred Dunhill Links. This course just perfectly suits his repertoire. He will keep it in the fairways and find a smorgasbord of greens.
