Former European Ryder Cup Captain José Maria Olazábal, and other Spanish legends of the game, rolled back the years with some dazzling golf and entertainment at the Olazabal & Friends Charity Pro-Am held at Vilamoura’s Old Course last weekend.
The two-day event in Portugal was hosted by the two-time Masters champion Olazábal and featured fellow pros Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Emanuele Canonica and José Manuel Lara, alongside 12 amateur players at the second oldest course in the Algarve, in support of Sport Mundi, a Spanish non-profit organisation dedicated to helping children in need.
Olazábal said: “The idea of our event is to raise money for kids and this year we want to help in Valencia after the horrible floods at the end of October. All proceeds go to Sport Mundi who in turn will support Save the Children’s initiatives in Valencia.
“I want to thank our hosts from DETAILS and the Old Course Vilamoura as well as all our sponsors and participants. Without their generosity, none of this would be possible and I am grateful for the amazing support that enables us to continue our mission.”
Each team of three amateurs played with a pro, rotating after every nine holes to ensure all players had some playing time with all four professionals.
The Pro-Am tournament opened with a practice round and a welcome reception, before two thrilling rounds on consecutive days. A prize-giving lunch in the renovated Old Course Clubhouse brought the weekend’s entertainment to a close. Guests stayed at the Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort.
Nuno Sepúlveda, Co-CEO of DETAILS, added: “The opportunity to join forces with the Olazabal & Friends Charity Pro-Am to raise money for Sport Mundi was extremely important to all of us at DETAILS. It was a real pleasure to welcome everyone to our facilities at Old Course, Vilamoura and hope they experienced not only our course, but also the unique atmosphere that this destination offers.”