Valderrama is no longer the venue for the Masters, says PGA

Venue 'to be confirmed' · Junta withdraws backing

SAN ROQUE / Sotogrande The Masters is due to be played in October, but it looks like it will not be held at Valderrama, the much-vaunted 'best course on the continent'. The Masters is the last of the European PGA Tour. To use a generous euphemism, the PGA website lists the tournament venue as TBA (to be announced) at this late date. It also offers the news that it will be played in Spain. Indications are that the €3m prize money are the problem. And that, say reliable sources, is because the Junta de Andalucía (last year the tournament was called the Andalucía Masters, and before that, the Volvo Masters) has re->>>

Accusations of corruption spreads among Socialists of AndalucÍa

ANDALUCÍA (El País) The scam, which hit the headlines last month, allegedly revolved around a former regional labor chief, Javier Guerrero (photo), who occupied his post for nearly 10 years. In statements to police last December, Guerrero admitted using public funds to award generous early-retirement packages to his friends and family. He drew the money from what he described as a "slush fund for reptiles," whose beneficiaries included his own mother-in-law. The magistrate in charge of investigating the case, Mercedes Alaya, has formally accused Guerrero, who occupied the head labor post from 1999 to 2008. Guerrero came clean and was promptly expelled from the Socialist Party, which had hoped the buck stopped with him.>

Valderrama may not host 2011 Masters: decision on Wednesday

SAN ROQUE/Sotogrande (Agencies) The president of Valderrama Golf Club, Felipe Ortiz-Patiño (photo), has admitted in an interview that there is a possibility that the club (recently bought by Greg Norman but still subject to final completion) may not be hosting next year's Masters tournament. Speaking from his home in Switzerland, Ortiz-Patiño said that a final decision is scheduled for December 15. The decision is apparently the Junta de Andalucía's, the competition's main sponsor, who may take over the event altogether and will thus be able to have it played anywhere it likes. The club president also denied that there was friction with the sponsors regarding lawyer Ramón Dávila, who heads the organizing committee, as reported recentlhy on a specialist website, DobleBogey.

Guadiaro player among top 15 for Andalucía Valderrama Masters

SAN ROQUE The list of the top 15 players in what used to be called the European Order of Merit and is now the Race to Dubai, includes two Spaniards. Aside from stars of the game like Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Ernie Else and Ian Pulter, to name just a few, the list also includes Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Álvaro Quirós among the 96 players to attend the Andalucía Valderrama Masters (formerly the Volvo Masters) that gets under way on Thursday at 'continental Europe's best course', Valderrama. Quirós was born and bred in Guadiaro; his father was a gardener and it was him who introduced the young Álvaro to golf at age 9. The municipal course at La Cañada, a hotbed of young up-and-coming players, was where Quirós developed a keenness for the game that became his livelihood and passion.

Valderrama ready for Masters this weekend

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) 96 players will compete this coming weekend (October 28-31) in Sotogrande for the Andalucia Valderrama Masters. Starting on Thursday, first prize is a massive €500,000 from a €3 million prize fund at Valderrama, which is one of the most famous venues in the golfing world. Valderrama has vast experience in hosting world-class events, having hosted the World Golf Championships in 1999 and 2000 and then 16 editions of the Volvo Masters. It was also the venue for two World Golf Championship American Express tournaments, won by Tiger Woods in 1999 and then by Mike Weir in 2000. The club, bought recently from the Ortiz-Patiño family by Greg Norman, began its illustrous international career as 'the best course in continental Europe' when it hosted the Ryder Cup in 1997.>