Garcia, coming off an 11-shot Castello Masters win for his first victory in three years, is among 14 Spanish players looking for a first ever home triumph since Spain’s most famous golf course began hosting tournaments 23 years ago.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Jose Maria Olazabal, Alvaro Quiros, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Garcia lead the local contenders’ bid to triumph at the Robert Trent Jones designed course. Martin Kaymer, Thomas Bjorn, Matteo Manassero and Italian brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari will also compete at the 96-player, €3 million ($4.17 million) event.
Since 1988, when the Volvo Masters was first held, there have been 20 European Tour events at Valderrama but not one Spanish winner.
“I’ve been three times runner-up on this course, and that really spurs me to try harder,” Garcia said. “It’s been really positive recently, after two really bad years. I’ve had great feelings and at the end of the day the most important thing is what I feel. I’ve been putting really well since before the US Open, I like the consistency I’m achieving now.
“I think I am going the right way but that doesn’t mean that it’s time to relax.”
Valderrama’s cork tree-lined, par-71 course offers tight fairways and small greens that test a golfer’s game from tee to green, especially rewarding those who show patience and accuracy.
These characteristics suited McDowell on his way to a 2-shot victory last year, which was the Northern Irishman’s last European win. The former US Open champion is keen on a first 2011 title to improve his Race to Dubai position at the European Tour’s last continental event before moving on to Asia.
“It’s one of those iconic courses on the European Tour, and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with it,” McDowell said. “There are holes you can consider being decent birdie chances, and when the wind is up, well, good luck.
“But I like that challenge.”
Kaymer was second here in 2008 and the German player is looking for his first victory since January to put pressure on Dubai leader Luke Donald.
Bjorn has won three tournaments this season while Manassero’s first win came in Spain last year.
South African player Thomas Aiken will also be expected to challenge for the €500,000 ($695,450) winner’s cheque after his Spanish Open victory earlier this year, coupled with top-10 finishes in Madrid and Castellon.
In Shanghai, world No. 2 Lee Westwood and US Open champion Rory McIlroy are headlining a powerful field chasing a $2 million winner’s cheque at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters starting Thursday.
The glitzy competition is the latest exhibition in China to attract some of the game’s biggest names but as an unsanctioned event it carries no rankings points for the players, leading to criticism of “vanity” projects.
Englishman Westwood and McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, will vie for the top prize at the inaugural tournament along with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley.
Three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland and South Africa’s two-time Major champion Retief Goosen will also make the trip to China to play on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
The tournament also features England’s Ian Poulter, Scottish veteran Colin Montgomerie and China’s Zhang Lian-wei, all eyeing a chunk of the $5 million purse. K.J. Choi heads a three-strong Korean contingent.
“This week we have everything, a great field of players, a great course and organization and a great city. It is a perfect setting, a world class course for a world class field,” said Zhang.
The huge winner’s purse has raised eyebrows among established tours, anxious such exhibition events, including the recent made-for-TV Shui On Land China Golf Challenge, are undermining the game’s structure.
Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han criticized the organizers for undermining the development of Chinese and Asian players, saying such “vanity” tournaments only catered to the world’s elite.
But tournament organizers strongly defended the event, which has strong backing from Chinese golfing authorities and the government.
“We have ten Chinese players and three Korean players in the tournament flying the flag for Asia. These events give rare opportunities to Chinese and Asian players to go up against the game’s best players,” said a tournament spokesman.
“This gives them better exposure and development chances and also attracts golfing fans.”
On the greens there was intrigue for the first day of play on Thursday with Westwood and McIlroy playing in a group with China’s Zhang.
Westwood has been reported as being upset by McIlroy’s sudden sacking of their joint agent, International Sport Management’s Chubby Chandler, last Friday tweeting: “Bizarre decision!”
