News: First round of La Cala Resort Junior Masters

Julia Andres Landaluces

After the first of two rounds, the team from Andalucía lead the La Cala Resort Junior Masters 2012, an annual event that offers the regional golf federations in Spain an opportunity to compete in a team competition.

The format is stroke play with the best three results from the four team members counting on both days. The teams are comprised of two boys and two girls and the competition is taking place on Campo America, one of three 18-hole courses in the resort, which is located in Mijas Costa, Málaga. The regions competing are: Andalucía, Asturias, Castile and León, Extremadura and the Basque Country.

The Andalucía total of 222 leads by nine from Asturias on 231, with the Basque Country another two shots further back on 233. The best individual score was a level par 72 by Julia Andres Landaluce from Andalucía.

The first staging of the Junior Masters in 2004, saw some of the top names in amateur golf in Spain competing. These included subsequent European Tour winners; Pablo Martín Benavides, Álvaro Quirós and 2011 Solheim Cup star Azahara Muñoz. Other leading Spanish players to have competed include Jorge Campillo, Carmen Alonso, Anna Arese and Pedro Oriol. The most successful federations have been Andalucía with four titles and Galicia with three.

La Cala’s Director of Leisure, José Navas, said that La Cala is always conscious of promoting golf not only as a business but also as a sport. “We are officially recognised as the largest golf complex in Spain and we are obviously aware of our importance in promoting golf as a leisure industry. However, we are also fully aware of the importance of promoting all sectors of the game and are heavily committed to junior and ladies golf in particular. The high level of the players competing in the competition reflects the high regard in which La Cala is held in Spanish amateur golf circles. Our aim is to continue promoting competition at the highest level among promising young Spanish players with the goal of improving overall standards and cementing Spain’s position in junior golf at a European level.

“We have also staged important competitions such as: The Ladies European Tour qualifying school, The Spanish Pairs Professional finals and the Ivobank Euro ProTour Masters. In 2011 we organised a countrywide series of qualifying competitions for the national final of the World Golfers’ Championship, which we are going to repeat in 2012 with even more qualifying events, giving amateurs the opportunity to represent Spain at the international finals that are run in the same way as a professional tournament.”

Published: 03/01/12