The Spanish pair of José María Olazábal and Miguel Angel Jiménez will bring some Spanish flair to south Wales after confirming they will tee it up at the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club from July 27-30.
Olazábal, who masterminded Europe’s incredible comeback at The 2012 Ryder Cup, captaining his side to a remarkable eight and a half point turn-around to win and retain the coveted trophy, will tee it up in his first Senior Open Championship since turning 50.
Jiménez, who played in his first Senior Major at Royal Porthcawl in 2014, recorded his best finish at the Championship in 2016, finishing three strokes behind champion Paul Broadhurst at Carnoustie.
Olazábal, winner of the Masters Tournament in 1994 and 1999, has made four appearance on the European Tour in 2017, and has regularly teed it up on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit this season.
With less than a month to go until the start of the Championship, the 51 year old is looking forward to making a return to the United Kingdom.
“I missed it last year because of my health, but I’m really looking forward to playing at the Senior Open Championship and playing on a links course,” said Olazábal.
“Everybody I have spoken to has said great things about the course. I’ve heard it is a fantastic links course with a few blind shots, which is exactly how it should be out there.
“I’m always looking forward to playing events like these. Although this event is the Senior Open, to us it feels like The Open, because we get the chance to play on links courses like these again and we couldn’t ask for a better tournament or event.”
Jiménez, a 21-time European Tour winner, secured his fourth over-50s title earlier this year with his defence of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on the PGA TOUR Champions circuit, defeating 2016 US Senior Open champion Gene Sauers in a play-off.
The 53 year old held the 54-hole lead at last year’s Senior Open and hopes to build on that experience ahead of his return to Royal Porthcawl in a few weeks’ time.
“I’m looking forward to playing the Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl and returning to the course where I played my first Senior Major,” said Jiménez. It’s a good golf course, and if the weather is hot and dry like it was in 2014, it will be very challenging indeed.
“My final round at Carnoustie in last year’s Senior Open was very disappointing, but my game is in good shape at the moment, and it was great to kick-start my season with a win in Mississippi in April.
“In my three Senior Open appearances, I have finished eighth, fourth and third, so my record is quite good at the Championship and to win a Major Championship this year is definitely my target. As always there will be an incredible field and so the competition will be very strong and I will have to bring my best game to Royal Porthcawl to win, but I am certainly excited about that prospect.”
Compatriot Santiago Luna returned to the winner’s circle at the European Tour Properties Senior Classic, winning his third event on the over-50s circuit. In a tie for second was fellow Spaniard Miguel Ángel Martín – the pair will join Jiménez and Olazábal on the south Wales links next month.
The quartet join a star-studded field already confirmed for this year’s Championship including the likes of Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Tom Watson and Ian Woosnam.
Tickets and hospitality packages for the Senior Open Championship are still available, including the recently-announced Youth Ticket, a more affordable ticket option for those aged 16-24. Under-16s are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
For more information visit www.senioropenchampionship.com or call +44 (0) 800 023 2557.
About Visit Wales
Visit Wales is the Welsh Government’s tourism team. Visitors spend around £14 million a day whilst in Wales, amounting to around £5.1 billion a year. Visit Wales is responsible for formulating tourism policy, encouraging investment in, and improving the quality of the visitor experience in Wales. The team is also responsible for marketing Wales within the UK and internationally. The ambition of the Welsh Government’s tourism strategy for Wales is to grow tourism earnings in Wales by 10% by 2020. The Year of Adventure 2016 was the first in a series of thematic years, and provides focus for product development and the promotion of Wales. 2017 is the Year of Legends, and 2018 will be the Year of the Sea.
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About the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex
The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex will be played over the world-renowned links of Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Wales for the second time in 2017.
The Championship has been officially recognised as a ‘Senior Major’ since 2003, when the event owners, the European Tour and The R&A, incorporated the Championship into the schedules of both the European Senior Tour and the PGA TOUR Champions. These organisations are also long time partners with Rolex, as part of the brand’s enduring support of golf, which marks its 50thanniversary in 2017.
Since its inauguration in 1987 at Turnberry in Scotland, the Championship has been hosted by the UK’s most prestigious and challenging courses, and celebrated its 30th edition in 2016 at Carnoustie, Scotland. The event returns to Royal Porthcawl three years after the club became the first Welsh venue to host Europe’s Senior Major, when Rolex Testimonee Bernhard Langer won the Championship for the second time.