Darren Clarke at 2011 Tavistock Cup
Seven Irish Players - Shane Lowry, Peter Lawrie, Gareth Maybin, Damien McGrane, Michael Hoey, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley - are scheduled to play the Andalucia Open de Golf presented by Turkish Airlines this week as the European Tour heads into the second consecutive week at the Parador de Malaga Golf in Spain.
Four of the players arrive from the Sicilian Open - Lawrie and McGrane surviving the cut on Friday - with Maybin missing out on the weekend's play, along with Shane Lowry who was playing his first event following a injury.
Last year's Ryder Cup Vice Captains, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley, arrive in Spain after finishing fourth in the Tavistock Cup last week at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club where they represented Queenwood in the new expanded fourth World Golf and Country Club Championship - an event now in its eighth year.
Michael Hoey returns to action after finishing 15th in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in mid February.
The seven strong Irish contingent join Alvaro Quiros who is aiming for a double Spanish success this week when he headlines a tournament promoted by Spain's Miguel Angel Jiménez.
The tournament has once again attracted a strong field spearheaded by the Spanish duo and bolstered by the likes of former and present Ryder Cup Captains Colin Montgomerie and José Maria Olazábal.
Quiros, the reigning Open de Espaňa champion as well as the winner of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year, is the highest ranked player in the field – being currently third in The Race to Dubai and 21st in the Official World Golf Ranking, and he is joined by fellow 2011 winners Pablo Martin of Spain, SSP Chowrasia of India and last week’s champion Raphaël Jacquelin of France.
“It’s great what Miguel is doing for Spanish golf by promoting the Open de Andalucia,” said Quiros. “I support everything he is doing and most of the Spanish players on the Tour want to play in the tournament to help his cause.”
Also bidding to collect the first title on Spanish soil in this season’s Race to Dubai are two former winners of the tournament; 2008 winner Thomas Levet of France and 2009 champion, Dane Søren Kjeldsen along with a host of players who, like Jiménez, Montgomerie and Olazábal, have tasted Ryder Cup glory, namely Niclas Fasth, David Howell and Phillip Price.
