The renowned international university of hotel and tourism management has hosted the presentation of the tournament that will be held at Alferini Golf (Villa Padierna), in the Costa del Sol town of Benahavís
University of Les Roches, in Marbella, has been the setting for the presentation of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España 2022, which will be played from 24th to 27th November at Alferini Golf (Villa Padierna) and will end the Ladies European Tour season.
The main representatives of the entities and organisations involved in a tournament that will also crown the winner of the Race to Costa del Sol, the order of merit of the European women’s circuit, agreed on the role of “Andalusia and the Costa del Sol as the best golf destination in Europe”.
Gonzaga Escauriaza, president of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, started the event and highlighted the opportunity of this tournament. “First, for being the last one of the season, and also for being a good preparation for the Solheim Cup, which will be played next year”. He recalled that “from this edition, the best Spanish amateur will receive the Celia Barquín Memorial Award as a tribute to the young Spanish golfer murdered in 2018 in the United States”.
He was followed by Jorge Querol, the golf director at Villa Padierna, who thanked everyone involved, “especially the Benahavís Town Hall and Deporte & Business for trusting us. It is an honour to host the best players on a course that will present excellent conditions.
Joao Pinto, tournament director of the Ladies European Tour, congratulated those responsible for Alferini Golf, “for the great work they have done to make it a real championship course” and acknowledged all the authorities “for the important support they are giving to women’s golf”.
Alicia Garrido, executive director of Deporte & Business, began by thanking the media who are increasingly “echoing women’s golf”. She also thanked Les Roches University for “opening their doors and being part of this project” and ended by congratulating the Benahavís Town Hall and Alferini Golf for their involvement in this tournament. “I am convinced that the course will look spectacular this week, as will the Costa del Sol and Andalucía, and that will be seen all over Europe”.
Blanca Moreno, president of the Ronald McDonald Children’s Foundation, said a few words of gratitude for “the visibility given to our organisation, which focuses its activity on providing accommodation for families with long-term sick children. It is a source of pride and a great opportunity to be part of this Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España”.
Manuel Cardeña, president of ACOSOL and deputy mayor of Marbella, also said: “This is the last Spanish Open before the Solheim Cup. We have reached this part of the story and it is a satisfaction that we have created together a working team, a family, to make Costa del Sol the best golf destination in the world”. He said this before highlighting the importance of the sustainability of the golf courses in such a complicated year. “The success of the investments made to provide regenerated water of the highest quality to all the courses”.
Francisco Salado, president of the Malaga Provincial Council, focused his speech on highlighting “the number and quality of our golf courses, evaluated with a 9.2 public-private partnership, which allows us to develop a model that has been successful for years”. He agreed that “environmental sustainability must guide us all in society” and stressed that “this championship its one of the great offers that Malaga has to offer all year round”.
Gemma del Corral, territorial delegate for Tourism, Culture and Sport in Málaga of the Junta de Andalucía, underlined that “Andalusia is, once again, positioning itself as a golfing reference throughout Europe thanks to this magnificent event. Of the total number of tourists who come to play golf, more than half a million, 120,000 are women, and the aim is to increase these figures. We are taking advantage of the celebration of the Solheim Cup 2023, among other things. Junta de Andalucía counts on golf as a fundamental attraction in all its promotional activities”.
José Antonio Mena, Mayor of Benahavís, closed the speeches emphasising that “the importance of golf in the area is enormous in this golden triangle formed by Marbella, Estepona and Benahavís. A large part of the economic activity of our municipality is linked to the world of golf, which is why we must keep open this window to the world that the Women’s Spanish Open and next year’s Solheim Cup is offering us”.
At the end of the presentation of the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, the first edition of the Golf Summit Green & Blue began. It was an event that was created with the aim of analysing both the opportunities and changes that are taking place in the golf industry through different presentations, talks, debates and round tables. These are some of the aspects that surround this activity, such as women’s sport, tourism and sustainability.