La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Grand Final Results 2022

A magnificent gala dinner at the Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús in Marbella provided an appropriately grand climax to the 12th Andalucía Golf Challenge-Destination Dominican Republic PGA Ocean's 4 Bahía Príncipe Circuit. Organised by Andalucía Golf/España Golf magazine, the popular amateur circuit concluded with the final at the superb La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links course.

The winners of five trips to the Dominican Caribbean are José Ugía González (scratch champion), Timo van T Zelfde (category one winner), Roberto Ramiro Abril (category two winner), Elías Plaza López-Berges (second in category one) and José Luis Rodríguez Rodríguez (second in category two). At the end of October, the five winners will enjoy a golf holiday in the Dominican Republic that includes flights to Santo Domingo, accommodation ( seven nights) at the 5* Bahía Príncipe Luxury Bouganville hotel on an all-inclusive basis, and golf at three of the finest and most spectacular courses in the Caribbean: PGA Ocean's 4, Teeth of the Dog and Punta Espada.

It so happens that two of the winners, José Ugía and José Luis Rodríguez, will be repeating the Andalucía Golf Challenge Caribbean experience, as they had also won the top prizes in the 2019 edition (Rodríguez) and in 2021 (Ugía). In both cases, the destination was Riviera Maya, staying on that occasion at the Bahía Príncipe hotels and playing the PGA Riviera Maya, Mayakobá El Camaleón and Playa Paraíso courses.

The final at the magnificently renovated and recently reopened La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links course brought together one hundred players, who qualified after winning one of the circuit’s tournament legs or by obtaining a place from the Benahavís Ranking, compiled throughout the season and based on results in the tournaments they played.

The final was highlighted by a great atmosphere, a wonderfully sunny day, and a top-quality course in an extraordinary condition for play. On their way to the 10th hole, the players enjoyed a superb refreshment snack served by Delicias Gourmet Group and consisting of a wide variety of drinks, excellent Guijuelo ham and haute cuisine tapas. Gabriel Moncada, owner and general manager of the company, and Pablo Arroyo, director of Restaurants and Events, were in charge of supervising this perfectly-run catering service.

A few hours after the competition, a sensational gala dinner was held at the 5-star Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús, preceded by a delicious cocktail reception served with great professionalism in one of the hotel's beautiful terraced restaurants, next to the promenade and just a few metres from the sea.

More than 150 people attended the dinner, including, in addition to the finalists and their companions, several golf course directors, the regional government’s provincial delegate for tourism, sport and culture, Gemma del Corral, Marbella Town Hall’s councillor for sport and CEO of public utilities company Acosol, Manuel Cardeña, and director of the host hotel, Ramón Pons.

The winners of the five trips to the Caribbean were announced at the end of the dinner and after the draw for a special prize provided by one of the circuit's sponsors, ThirdHome, of a stay for four people at a luxury resort in Mexico, and the presentation of a CaddyTalk Minimi Rangefinder to the winner of the closest to the pin prize (José Ugía González).

During their respective speeches, both Manuel Cardeña and Gemma del Corral emphasised the key relevance of the Andalucía Golf Challenge Circuit and the importance of golf as a first-class tourism resource on the Costa del Sol and throughout Andalucía.

This open amateur golf circuit is one of the most important in Spain, both for the number of events played (almost thirty) and for the quality of the courses where they are held, including clubs of the category of Royal Valderrama, Finca Cortesín, Royal Sotogrande, Aloha and Royal Sevilla Golf, to name just a few. The circuit’s ongoing success is highlighted by the fact that, for the vast majority of tournaments, places are sold out well in advance.

The Circuit was sponsored by ThirdHome.com, MyHedgeFund.club, Turismo Costa del Sol, Benahavís Town Hall, Sanitas, Gran Hotel Guadalpín Banús, PGA Ocean’s 4 Bahía Príncipe, Bahía Príncipe Golf and Bahía Príncipe Hotels & Resorts, and the main collaborators were D.O. Somontano, Holiday Golf Estates, Fairway+blue and Ideaterrazas. Andalucía Golf/España Golf was the Circuit's official media outlet.