'It helped propel my career' - DP World Tour stars return to scene of amateur success in Sotogrande

By Mathieu Wood

The DP World Tour is visiting a new venue this week for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters but Real Club de Golf Sotogrande will bring back fond memories for several in action.

For over 50 years, the venue in Andalusia has hosted the European Nations Cup – Copa Sotogrande, a prestigious tournament for the leading amateur golfers.

Major champions Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari are among those to have won the event in southern Spain, in advance of forging stellar professional careers.

Molinari is in the field alongside a host of fellow former winners, including countryman Guido Migliozzi, England’s recent first-time DP World Tour winner Todd Clements, French duo Julien Brun and Adrien Saddier, and five-time Tour winner Marcel Siem from Germany. Spanish amateur Jaime Montojo also features in the field this week on an invite, having won the title in 2022.

Molinari arrives in Spain a few weeks on from being a Vice Captain for Team Europe at a home Ryder Cup, and is thrilled to return to a a venue which holds such fond reflections.

“It’s a distant memory now but I remember it very clearly because it was my first major international amateur win," said the Italian who has become a multiple winner on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR since he won the amateur event in 2004.

"I remember the course pretty well after 19 years. I remember playing with a few guys that are out here on Tour now. They are great memories and I can say I’m pretty happy with how the last 19 years have gone since then.

"I think younger me would be pretty happy with how my career has been so far."

Notable past winners of the European Nations Cup

Reflecting on his victory in Sotogrande in 2018, a year after success at the English Amateur, Clements said it was an invaluable step on his career path.

"It helped propel my career," he told the DP World Tour.

"It was a confidence boost to win such a prestigious event and it gave me a bit more self-belief about my game."

Following his graduation from the European Challenge Tour at the end of last season, he made his DP World Tour breakthrough at the D+D REAL Czech Masters in August in just his 30th appearance.

Clements, who turned professional following the 2018 US Amateur, added: "It’s obviously nice to come back here. I have fond memories. When the venue was announced on the schedule I was delighted. I have got good feelings, good vibes.

"I am looking forward to what the week brings. I haven’t been out there yet but the course I have heard looks as good as ever.

"What isn’t to like about this course, really. It is a little bit generous off the tee but the undulations on the greens make it a real challenge."

The significance of this tournament at an amateur level can be clearly seen not just through its champions but also it's competitors as a whole.

In fact, nine of the twelve players who formed part of Captain Luke Donald's victorious Team Europe earlier this month have participated as amateurs in the Copa Sotogrande, with Jon Rahm (2012) and Tommy Fleetwood (2010) recording runner-up finishes in the 72-hole stroke play event.

Jaime Salaverri Aguilar, President of the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, said: "The DNA of this club is primarily amateur golf and it will continue to be that way.

"We have hosted one of the top European amateur events for the last 50 years - the European Nations Cup. Among the individual winners are Rory McIlroy, Pádraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari. So, many top guys who became winners of majors."

The layout – the first course designed in Europe by renowned American architect Robert Trent Jones – underwent a restoration in two phases in 2015 and 2016, a move that has played a part in its return to hosting professional golf.

"In the past we have done very few professional events," he added. "We have done one Spanish Open (in 1966) and in the middle of that we did a full renovation of our facilities in 2015. For two years, we invested close to nine million euros.

"When we did that we created some back tees and at the time we did that we also thought about the possibility of hosting a professional event and the opportunity came this year.

"The DP World Tour approached us, we thought about and we decided to stand up to the challenge. We are very happy."

This week, the historic club in San Roque, which has played a role in the development of several future international stars, stages professional golf at a decisive stage in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.

The ninth edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters marks the penultimate ‘regular’ event of the 2023 season, with next week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters offering players the final opportunity to secure their cards for the 2024 campaign.

Ryan Fox, who won last month’s BMW PGA Championship, is third on the Race to Dubai, with fourth-placed Adrian Meronk also teeing it up in Spain as Adrian Otaegui defends the title he won last year at Real Club Valderrama.

Otaegui will be joined by a host of fellow Spaniards looking for success on home soil, including Pablo Larrazábal, Jorge Campillo and Rafa Cabrera Bello.

There will also be an American presence at the second of back-to-back events on Spanish soil, with U.S. Open Champion and four-time Ryder Cup player Matt Kuchar both making their first visit to the country.

While they will both be taking on the challenge of Real Club de Golf Sotogrande for the first time, course knowledge could prove invaluable in determining the winner as many seek to add professional success to glory in their amateur days at the venue.