Sergio Garcia will begin his bid for a third successive Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation title in the company of two European Tour winners on Thursday.
The local favourite successfully defended his crown at last year’s weather-affected edition, which was reduced to 54 holes and finished on Monday following a series of delays and suspensions.
And the Ryder Cup star is back on home soil this week as he aims to make it three in a row at Real Club Valderrama, teeing it up alongside last month’s Betfred British Masters champion Marcus Kinhult and five-time European Tour winner Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Garcia’s victory in Andalucia was his seventh professional win in his home country – his other victories coming at the Canarias Open de España (2002), Mallorca Classic (2004) and the Castelló Masters (2008 and 2011).
Expect Garcia to contend again.
World No 11 and home hope Jon Rahm will also be in elite company. The 2018 Open de España champion will play his first two rounds with countryman Jorge Campillo, who is the only Spanish winner on the European Tour so far this season following his victory at the Trophee Hassan II, and Italian Guido Migliozzi – already a two-time winner in his rookie season.
British Open-bound Richard Sterne and strong finisher at the BMW International Open, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, will head up the local charge.
English pair Max Orrin and Sam Brown will join Bezuidenhout for the first two days while Ashun Wu and victorious Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn provide Sterne some company.
Thomas Aiken and Zander Lombard are grouped with Jinho Choi as late starters on Thursday.
