Thomas Aiken heads to the Open de Espana looking to tame Real Club Valderrama, the tough layout that hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup.
The South African broke onto the European Tour with a victory at the Open de Espana in 2011. It was held at Real Golf Club de Prat that year and Aiken carded rounds of 68,68,72,70 to win by two shots over Anders Hansen.
He hasn’t missed a cut at the Spanish national open in his last five starts there and his latest result was a share of 22nd in 2015.
The course is famously tough and was voted the best in continental Europe by Golf World Magazine in 1999. When the Ryder Cup played out there in 1997 Team Europe beat the Team USA 14 1/2 to 13 1/2. Alos, between 1988 and 2008 it was the host venue for 15 editions of the Volvo Masters.
The rich history of Valderrama are largely due to its difficulty and Aiken likes to play on tough tracks, which is proven by his record at The Open Championship.
At the oldest major he tied for eighth in 2009 and seventh in 2012. Last year he shared 25th place at the US Open, and has earned a PGA Tour card for the 2016/17 season.
Aiken is a three-time winner on the European Tour and producing some of his best golf in recent years. He’s won in Spain before and could well do so again this week.
Aiken set for Spanish test
DOMAINE DE BEL OMBRE, MAURITIUS - MAY 09: Thomas Aiken during the day 3 of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at The Heritage Golf Club on May 09, 2015 in Domaine de Bel Ombre, Mauritius. (EDITORS NOTE: For free editorial use. Not available for sale. No commercial usage.) (Photo by Luke Walker/Sunshine Tour/Gallo Images)
