The 2019 Open de España will mark a turning point in the history of the tournament, one of the most prestigious in European Golf. Not only because of presence of the entire Spanish contingent, but also because of the fact that the new organisers have chosen the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid as the fixed venue for the next 5 years.
The Spanish Open has had plenty of issues in the last 40 years that have not exactly contributed to its stability. But that should all be history now and 2019 is the beginning of a new phase, and to kick it off, Madrid Trophy Promotion’s first decision was to establish a fixed venue. Then came the collaboration of our champions, who we are fortunate enough to have, and plenty of them.
It is always important to lay the foundations and build upon them, but the foundations must be solid. Well, this new Open de España has built itself on a very solid base, great players and a great course that is going to allow them to keep growing year after year, without having to rush changes, until it is in the place that it used to be and where Spanish golf deserves to be.
A fixed venue is essential for that, as all the great tournaments have one and they stick in the memories of the fans, like the Masters at Augusta, or the majors with their exclusive rotations. It is also the case of Wentworth at the PGA, the French Open, since setting itself up at the Le Golf National and the Tour Championship in Atlanta. Fans associate the course with the tournament and that is fundamental.
In our case, as well as being a spectacular design by Javier Arana, the Spanish course designer par excellence, we are talking about a course that is very close to the city, can be reached by public transport and boasts numerous facilities and activities for the fans. The 2018 Open de España was a success, thanks in part to the Centro Nacional being so accessible to the public, but I believe this aspect can be even better at the CCVM.
The Club de Campo Villa de Madrid is a wonderful choice and I’m sure, as time passes, it will also meet the quality standards that will make the Open de España one of the pinnacles of European and world golf. Viva the new Open de España!
By: Javier Pinedo
