World Number One Luke Donald has targeted a successful title defence at this week’s Bankia Madrid Masters as he bids to build on his already impressive lead in The Race to Dubai.
The Englishman, who becomes the first World Number One to tee up in Madrid since his compatriot Sir Nick Faldo competed in the 1993 Open de España at Club Jarama RACE, heads to the Spanish capital in fine fettle having finished in a share of ninth place at last week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
That took Donald’s season’s earnings to €3,839,161 and a repeat of his heroics last year, when he edged out Welshman Rhys Davies by a single stroke after closing with a round of 67, would put him in an even more impressive position.
He said: “It had been a while since I’d won, so my victory in Madrid last year gave my confidence a big boost. Any time you win, it always gives you a lot of satisfaction that all the hard work has been worthwhile. It was the start of an incredibly consistent run for me, so I’ve got great memories of my win. When you’re playing well you tend to enjoy your golf more, and that was certainly the case for me in Madrid and in the weeks that followed it.
“Because the win opened up a lot of doors for me, I felt duty bound to support the event by going back to defend my title. I’ve had a very busy stretch lately, and my wife’s also due to give birth soon so I’ll be taking a break after Madrid. It’d be great to sign off with another win to extend my lead at the top of The Race to Dubai.”
This year, the €1million tournament is being held for the first time at El Encín Golf Hotel, which was described by European Tour champion Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño – whose company GFC Golf & Business is again promoting the event – as “a great golf course, with undulating greens and superb bunkering”.
He added: “It is a typical Robert Von Hagge design, with very good facilities. I played the course a few weeks ago and found it in top condition. Everybody at the club is working hard for a successful tournament.
“The first four editions of the Bankia Madrid Masters have been a huge achievement, and we are very proud to have come such a long way. I wish to thank the Community of Madrid and Bankia for their longstanding commitment to golf, as well as the Madrid Federation, who have been ever so supportive.”
Of Fernandez-Castaño’s compatriots, the big-hitting Alvaro Quiros will doubtless delight the home fans along with Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain José-Maria Olazábal, who will use the opportunity to cast his eye over Donald, a virtual certainty to line up in his team at Medinah Country Club next year.
Other former winners of the event include 2011 Masters Tournament Champion Charl Schwartzel, who won at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid in 2008, and Englishman Ross McGowan, who triumphed at Centro Nacional de Golf in 2009 the year before his compatriot Donald’s victory at Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo.
El Encín Golf Hotel, which opened last March, is located in the outskirts of the historic village of Alcalá de Henares, some 34km north east of Madrid. The 7,561 yards, par 72 course is overlooked by the stunning mountains of the Santos del la Humosa region.
