Darren Clarke returns to Montecastillo Hotel and Golf Resort this week to defend the Volvo Masters title he won 12 months ago in a dramatic finale to the 1998 European Tour season. The Ulsterman produced a magnificent record-equalling 63 to win an epic contest by two strokes from Andrew Coltart and Colin Montgomerie. Victory lifted Clarke ahead of Lee Westwood in the Volvo Order of Merit but Montgomerie’s third place finish enabled him to hold on to the top spot and win the Harry Vardon Trophy for a record sixth successive year.
Montgomerie is once again in pole position in the race to win the Volvo Order of Merit and will be aiming for a hat-trick of Volvo-titled victories after already claiming the Volvo PGA Championship and Volvo Scandinavian Masters titles. But the Scot has two young pretenders to the throne snapping at his heels as the European Tour enters the penultimate event of the 1999 season.
Sergio Garcia’s victory in the Linde German Masters edged him ahead of Westwood but the Englishman moved back into second last week. Both players have a lot of ground to make up on Montgomerie if they are to prevent him from winning the Volvo Order of Merit for a seventh consecutive year.
The limited field of 66 players will also be playing for a place in the season-ending World Golf Championships – American Express Championship. The top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and the top 20 in the Volvo Order of Merit at the conclusion of the Volvo Masters will be among those eligible for the first of the World Golf Championship events to be played in Europe.
This will be the third time the Volvo Masters has been hosted by Montescastillo Hotel and Golf Resort, Westwood claiming the title in 1997. Once again the best of European golf will contest the 12th Volvo Masters on the course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Water comes into play on five holes. Indeed, the natural terrain with its wide valley, rolling hills and deep ravines, gave Nicklaus the opportunity to design a course with a variety of holes creating a full range of shot values.
