Angel Hidalgo is setting his sights on another home-soil victory as he gets ready to tee off at the 10th edition of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande this week.
After a thrilling win in Madrid less than a month ago, where he held his nerve in a play-off against two-time Major Champion Jon Rahm, Hidalgo became a national hero.
That victory at the 2024 acciona Open de España presented by Madrid didn’t just earn him the applause of fans; it shot him up to 22nd in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
Now, with the PGA TOUR in his sights, Hidalgo has his eyes on a bigger prize. With just four events left, he’s in the running for one of the ten coveted spots offering dual membership to the PGA TOUR for players not already exempt.
And where better to make another statement than at the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande? After all, it was here in Andalucía where Hidalgo’s fourth-place finish in 2022 earned him his DP World Tour card. He’s hoping that those memories fuel a strong showing at this year’s tournament.
But Hidalgo won’t have it easy. Joining him is a star-studded lineup of homegrown talent, including Jon Rahm, 2022 winner Adrian Otaegui, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Pablo Larrazábal, Jorge Campillo, Adri Arnaus, Nacho Elvira, Álvaro Quirós, and David Puig.
This gathering of Spain’s finest golfers promises to make the competition fierce as they battle it out for supremacy in Sotogrande.
Otaegui, with his 2022 triumph still fresh, is looking for a repeat. The five-time DP World Tour winner is currently 29th on the Race to Dubai Rankings after an impressive season, which included a victory at the Volvo China Open earlier this year.
Also in the field are a handful of Rolex Series winners like Victor Perez, Thorbjørn Olesen, and Nicolai Højgaard, who will tee it up alongside his twin brother Rasmus.
And let’s not forget PGA TOUR winner Matt Wallace and Matteo Manassero, who still holds the title as the youngest winner in DP World Tour history.
For the sixth time, Estrella Damm, the premium Spanish lager brand, is the title sponsor, making its mark on the tournament yet again.
This week marks the second year in a row that the event will be held at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, and with a stellar field and a historic course, it’s shaping up to be a spectacle.
