Andalucía Masters scheduled at Valderrama for October 27 to 30

SAN ROQUE / Sotogrande The second edition of the Andalucía Masters golf competition was officially presented in Los Barrios yesterday by Luciano Alonso, the Junta's head of Tourism, Commerce and Sport, and San Roque Mayor Juna Carlos Ruiz Boix, among others, Scheduled for October 27 to 30 at Valderrama, the event will bring together such golfing luminaries as Thomas Björn, Paul McGinley and Martin  Kaymer, as well as Miguel Angel Jiménez, Alvaro Quirós, Sergio García and José María Olazábal, who captain's the European team for the 2012 Ryder cup to be played in Chicago. The Junta de Andalucía has backed the competition with €3 million in prize money. Its representative, Luciano Alonso, pointed out that>>>"this is an ideal time and place to project the image of Andalucía throughout the world. Media coverage includes The Golf Channel (USA) and Sky (UK) as well as daily reports to over 50 countries and a potential viewership of 450 million people. Some 250 journalists are accredited and about 30,000 spectators are expected at the gates.

According to the Junta, Andalucía leads the country in matters of golf, taking 24.2% of the market. This translates into 427,000 tourists last year, who spent some €687 million. Golf tourism is one of the most important because this niche market spends an average of €91.23 per day, €30.82 above the median.