For a second year running Andalucia Open tournament host Miguel Angel Jimenez will have to delve into his own pockets to ensure the Spanish event goes ahead.
This year’s Andalucian Open takes place on the Aloha Golf Club course just to the south of Marbella on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
The tournament is the first of an expected six events this year in Spain although the Majorca Open (May 10 to 13) where Seve Ballesteros son, Manuel is expected to contest the ProAm has yet to be confirmed on the 2012 schedule.
Jimenez has been able to attract a very decent field headed by former Major winners, Michael Campbell (2005 U.S. Open), Rich Beem (2002 PGA Champion), Mike Weir (2003 Masters winner), Jose Maria Olazabal (1994 and 1999 Masters champion) and defending champion Paul Lawrie (1999 Open Championship).
The field boasts 11 Ryder Cup stars including Monty, Olazabal and Lawrie along with England’s Oliver Wilson, Frenchman Thomas Levet, Denmark’s Soren Hansen, Spain’s Ignacio Garrido, Welshman Phil Price, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari, Sweden’s Niclas Fasth and the tournament host in Jimenez.
There’s also four winners from this year’s 2012 Race to Dubai in England’s Robert Rock (Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship), Lawrie (Commercial Bank Qatar Masters), Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Omega Dubai Desert Classic) and pint-sized South African Jbe Kruger (Avantha Masters).
However it seems there really would be not event this week without the financial input of Jimenez who lives in nearby Malaga.
It’s believed the 47-year old invested around Euro 300,000 of his own money into last year’s event staged at the Parador Golf Club in Malaga.
How much Jimenez has invested into the 2012 tournament may be revealed later this week.
Last year Turkish Airlines became a late sponsor with the 2011 event known as Open de Andalucia de Golf by Turkish Airlines.
But in the airline’s absence this year one thing is certain and that’s if it was not for the generosity of the golfer affectionately known as “The Mechanic” the present break for the majority of rank-and-file European Tour competitors who did not qualify for the two recently concluded WGC events would stretch to a month instead of three weeks.
