Peugeot Tour: 14 years of loyalty to Club de Campo Villa de Madrid

Santiago Luna, Manuel Moreno, Alvaro Salto, Pedro Oriol, Carlos Balmaseda, Javier Colomo, Borja Etchart, Gabriel Canizares, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, Manuel Quiros, Carlos Suneson … are some of the most prominent names among participants in the Peugeot Tour Alps de Madrid will be held this week at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, faithful stop since its inception in 1999 and now also receives the best Alps Tour players with outstanding European Challenge Tour Jaime Camargo, Juan Antonio Bragulat and Jesus Legarrea.
Furthermore, seven Alps Tour tournament winners will attend: Scot’s Ross Kellett (winner last week in Italy), France’s Xavier Poncelet, Sebastien Gros and Jerome Lando-Casanova (won in Andalucia), Ireland’s Brendan Mc Carroll (twice winner this season), Spain’s Carlos Garcia Simarro and England’s Chris Mc Donnell.
Peugeot Tour Alps de Madrid is the third tournament counting for the Peugeot Tour, and 14th for the Alps Tour. Will be a total of 138 players from 10 nationalities, from Thursday 19 July until Saturday 21 fight for a title emblematic of one of the best courses in the country that opens new tee in this competition.
The Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has made a modification on the course: a new tee has been created on Hole 7 which will be played for the first time during the tournament. The 7th hole is a par 5 that has been extended “in order to give more excitement to the professional competition, as stated by José M ª Roncallo, Sports Director of CVCC. We added approximately 15 meters which is now more difficult, risky because you can find a dangerous bunker on the right to throw the drive. Now is the thick and it will be nice to see the first professional play and defend from there.”
14 years of loyalty between Peugeot Tour and CCVM
Since 1999 that started this circuit, the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has been one of the most expected stages by professionals, since it is one of the best courses in Spain that has hosted major competitions contested in Madrid. In the first edition was a very young Raul Quiros who, with only 20 years old, achieved his first professional title on a golf course where a few years before his idol Seve Ballesteros won.
In 2000, Miguel Angel Martin won. Tied second places went to Nacho Garrido and Juan Carlos Aguero, the young man from Pedreña who won three tournaments in the first two editions of the circuit.
Martin would be confirmed with the second position in the next edition in 2001, which won by Jose Manuel Carriles.
In 2002, the first Spanish women’s tour has been established and took place meanwhile the men event. Winners were Eduardo Fernández and Ana Larrañeta.
After several years caressing the title, the local player Alvaro Salto won in 2003, when he was a European Tour member.
In 2004, Miguel Angel Martin repeated victory. At the second place, two guys tied: a young promising amateur Gabriel Cañizares and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who won the tournament in 2005.
In 2006, Ricardo Jiménez won. Pablo Larrazabal, now player and winner of the European Tour, signed one of his many second places. He won this year in Barcelona the Peugeot of Sant Cugat. Besides he shared the second position with the Portuguese Tiago Cruz.
In 2007, Eduardo de la Riva won. Second place was shared by Alvaro Salto and Juan Parron.
One of the most hotly contested issues was that of 2008, which took three extra holes play-off between Nacho Garrido and Carlos Balmaseda so that it had fulfilled its deserved victory.
In 2009, the tournament opened the doors to the Alps Tour. But the victory stayed in Spanish hands of Xavi Guzman. Uli Weinhandl and Baptiste Chapellan tied the second place.
Alvaro Salto repeated victory in 2010, which Inigo Urquizu have to settle for second place, as happened to Eduardo de la Riva in the latest edition when the title, in 2011, was won by Carlos Garcia Simarro belonging to the Alps Tour.
Peugeot Alps Tour Madrid
The event starts on Monday with the qualifying round in which 20 players will battle for the five places reserved to provide an opportunity for those professionals who have no category for the tournament. Tuesday will be official practice day and Wednesday, the Peugeot Tour Alps de Madrid opens with a Pro-Am which will involve teams of one professional and three amateurs. The tournament will take place from Thursday 19 to Saturday 21 July and the tournament will end with another Pro-Am on Sunday 22.