It is one of the more surprising European Tour statistics that no Spaniard has ever won a strokeplay event at Club de Golf Valderrama.
Since 1988, when the Volvo Masters was first held on the most famous Spanish course, there have been 20 European Tour events at the venue.
Plenty of Spaniards were involved in the famous European Ryder Cup triumph at the venue in 1997, of course.
And one of the Vice Captains from that week, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, is determined to end the wait for a home victory with his first win of the season at the Andalucía Masters.
“Valderrama is an unforgiving course and you need to hit great shots with all the clubs in the bag,” he said.
“I’m striking the ball great, but not scoring my best. I haven’t had a win yet this season so it’s high time to start.”
Last week’s runaway victory on his home course has seen Sergio Garcia installed as favourite to make it back-to-back European Tour wins.
“I’m delighted with my win at Castellón,” he said. “It’s been a great boost to my confidence.
“I love Valderrama. I’ve been three times runner-up on this course, and that really spurs me to try harder.
“I would love to win an event like the Andalucía Masters. I’m happy with my ball striking, although there’s always room for improvement.”
Garcia was not the only Spaniard returning to form last week, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño finished second after months of injury problems.
“I feel pretty confident before this tournament, particularly because I did well last week,” he said. “Playing well at Castellón lifted a load off my shoulders. I needed to prove myself, and now I feel that I am really back on track.
“Having spent six months injured, it was great to finish second last week.
“We Spanish pros are like a big family with a great atmosphere. We enjoy travelling together. Every year we take this group photo at Valderrama and I keep them all as a nice souvenir.”
Big-hitting Alvaro Quiros is another hoping to keep the title on home soil, and he can expect plenty of support having grown up in nearby Cadiz.
“When you play so close to home it’s very special,” he said.
“My family and a big bunch of friends will come to watch and support me, and I would hate to disappoint them. Hopefully things will turn out better this year.”
Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal was on Seve Ballesteros’ winning team in 1997, but admits his form will need to improve if he is to get into contention this week.
“It’s always very special to come Valderrama, but I expect a tough tournament and I’m not playing well,” he said.
“This course is very challenging and we have a strong field with [defending champion Graeme] McDowell, Sergio, and all the rest. Sergio’s win was sensational with such a fantastic score – it will mean a great step forward for him.
“Obviously Valderrama is an added motivation because of all the great tournaments played here. I shall never forget the '97 Ryder Cup under Seve. It was a very, very special week and I will treasure those moments forever.”
