Madrid to host Challenge Tour event

The Challenge de España will have a new home for the 2008 season when Casino Club de Golf Retamares in Madrid plays host to the event from June 5-8. The venue is not a new one for the Challenge Tour, having played host to the 2007 Open Mahou de Madrid, won by England’s Ben Mason, who chipped in at the final hole to claim the title by a shot from fellow countryman Tim Milford and Alvaro Velasco of Spain. However, the appearance of the course will offer new challenges as a lot of work has been undertaken since last May with the size of many tees increased, fairways reshaped and some 750 trees planted throughout the 18 holes. The clamour to claim the lion’s share of the €140,000 prize fund will be strong for, historically, recent winners have also gone on to succeed quickly on The European Tour. In 2004, José-Filipe Lima triumphed a week before he won the Aa St Omer Open while last year’s champion, Felipe Aguilar of Chile used the victory to help him finish third on the 2007 Challenge Tour Rankings which gave him the springboard to win this season’s Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open in February. Juan Lejarraga, President of Casino Club de Golf Retamares, said: “We are very pleased to renew our acquaintance with the European Challenge Tour, having hosted the Open Mahou de Madrid last season, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming the players who will compete in the Challenge de España. “We have undertaken a lot of work on the golf course over the past 12 months and I am sure it will present a true golfing test come June.” Alain de Soultrait, European Challenge Tour Director, said: “We are very much looking forward to working with everyone at Casino Club de Golf Retamares and we thank them for allowing us the use of their golf course and clubhouse for the week. “Our thanks also go to the Royal Spanish Golf Federation for their continued support and commitment which has greatly helped the task of producing a successful Challenge de España.”