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Gonzalo Fernndez Castao visit Sotogrande para participar en el Andaluca Masters. Su paso por Valderrama parece que trajo suerte al golfista, que unos das despus se alzaba con la victoria en el Barclays Open de Singapur, tras tres aos sin premios. Ahora, el madrileo est imparable, formando parte de los top 50 del mundo. La Revista de Sotogrande aprovech su paso por la urbanizacin para descubrir a sus lectores los sueos, proyectos y recuerdos de un autntico enamorado de Sotogrande que seguro dar grandes alegras al golf espaol en 2012.

asta hace unos meses una lesin de espalda lo ha mantenido inactivo. Justo al volver, en Madrid Master, tuvo una muy buena actuacin; luego en el Castellon Master qued segundo, para empezar: cmo se encuentra? Me encuentro muy bien. Encantado de la vida. Desde que retom el juego tras la lesin, la espalda me est respetando. Adems, he tenido la gran suerte de que mi vuelta, deportivamente hablando, ha sido muy buena, y, familiarmente, tambin estoy atravesando un momento feliz. Con lo cual, en lneas generales, estoy muy contento, y deseando estar en el campo cada minuto. El estar seis meses sin poder jugar he de confesar que fue para m muy duro. Soy una persona muy competitiva y me ha costado mucho ver el campo y no poder disfrutarlo. Pero bueno, solamente ha sido, como aqul que dice, un dolor de espalda, y cosas mucho peores. Valderrama fue la sede de aquella gloriosa Ryder Cup del 97qu siente cuando juega en este legendario campo? Para mi es una sensacin especial, porque la verdad que es un campo que conozco bastante bien. Juego en l a lo largo de todo el ao y, adems, es un campo que encierra muchos recuerdos grandiosos para este deporte, desde la Ryder al Volvo Masters, campeonatos del mundoEs un campo muy importante para m, desde pequeo. No hace tanto que era nio y disfrutaba en este recorrido pidiendo autgrafos y bolas a los jugadores. Hoy soy yo uno de esos jugadores; es algo grande.

Sotogrande es un paraso para los golfistas, tanto por su nmero de campos como por su clima, es asiduo a sus campos? Sin duda! Me los conozco todos muy bien. Puedes preguntarme lo que quieras (re). Tenemos una casa en Marbella y lo cierto es que vengo muchsimo a Sotogrande a jugar durante todo el ao. Cules son sus campos favoritos de la urbanizacin? Todos son magnficos. Aunque destacara el de La Reserva de Sotogrande, el Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande, los dos campos de San Roque Club y Valderrama, sin duda. Valderrama te hace sentir como en casa. Es algo que se repite en este lado de Andaluca constantemente. En Cdiz, la gente es fantstica y jugar al golf es un autntico placer. Es inevitable, estando en Valderrama, acordarse del recientemente fallecido Severiano Ballesteros qu representa para usted este grande del golf? Hoy, si estoy aqu es, seguramente, gracias a Severiano, fjate lo que representa para m! Creo que, actualmente, si estamos jugando al golf; el circuito europeo es lo que es, y yo soy golfista, es, en gran medida, gracias a la labor que hizo Seve, junto con la RFEG, de abrir y acercar el golf a la gente. Por todo ello, ste es un ao triste. Aunque, por otro lado, es bonito ver todas las muestras de cario que recibimos, simplemente, por ser compatriotas de Ballesteros, es impresionante. La gente le tena un cario y una admiracin tremenda. A pesar de ser generaciones distintas, tuve el privilegio de compartir momentos con l maravillosos, como el Seve trophy de Irlanda, donde fue nuestro capitn. Ser alguien irrepetible, sin duda.

Creo que lvaro Quirs pelear por los primeros puestos mundiales

SI SOY GOLFISTA ES GRACIAS

Texto: Mayte Soln Fotos: Eduardo de la Hoz Martn Muoz

A SEVE
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BALLESTEROS

Y centrndonos en usted, cuntenos, cmo empez en el mundo del golf? Yo juego al golf gracias a mi padre que era aficionado y me meti el gusanillo en el cuerpo. Mi padre se esforz (y lo hizo muy bien) por fomentar tanto en mi hermana como en el amor al deporte en general. Ya no solamente el golf: el tenis, montar a caballo, cazar. Desde muy pequeos, lo acompabamos a todo lo que tuviera que ver con deporte y, aparte, tambin bamos a clases de distintas cosas. Yo, tom el camino del golf, aunque sigo practicando el resto de actividades. Esto mismo es algo que me gustara hacer tambin con mis hijos, inculcarles la vida de un deportista; los valores que simboliza el deporte y que, opino, son los mismos que hay que tener ante la vida: lucha, sacrificio, educacin, saber estar, paciencia. Gracias a mis padres, y al esfuerzo que hicieron en su momento, ahora estoy donde estoy.
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soy un jugador muy temperamental, competitivo y muy luchador. No suelo dar las vueltas nunca por perdidas

Das despus de realizar esta entrevista, Fernndez Castaos se alzaba con la victoria en el Barclays Open de Singapur

Ahora, con la popularizacin del golf y la creacin de campos pblicos, como el de La Caada de Guadiaro, el acceso a este deporte es mayor. Tenemos el ejemplo claro de lvaro Quirs, que sali, precisamente, de esta escuela, qu le parecen estas iniciativas? La Caada ha sido uno de los campos pblicos pioneros en Espaa y no hay ms que ver la cantera que ha dado y que sigue dando. Empezando por toda la familia Quirs, con lvaro, que no es de esa familiaEl trabajo de estos campos es imprescindible. Es una forma magnfica de acercar el golf a la gente y mostrar que no es ya un deporte de lite, ni de burgueses, ni de nada. No hay que ponerle etiquetas. El golf es para todo el mundo y no hay ms que ver grande ejemplos de gente humilde que ha llegado a lo ms alto. Es cuestin de esfuerzo. Adems de golfista es empresario, padre, hijo, cmo es la vida diaria de Fernndez Castaos? Siempre he sido muy golfista y ahora soy cada vez ms familiar. En cuanto a lo de empresario, tengo la suerte de rodearme de un equipo muy profesional y, la verdad, es que hacen prcticamente todo el trabajo. No obstante, mi faceta de empresario se centra en la organizacin de eventos, de torneos. Desde hace cuatro aos organizamos el Madrid Mster, en su momento realizamos el Open de Andaluca con Miguel ngel Jimnez, colaboramos
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con el Andaluca Valderrama MastersNos estamos abriendo un hueco en este mercado y, gracias a Dios, va la cosa bien, algo que no es poco teniendo en cuenta los tiempos que corren! Pero vamos, que mi labor central es el golf y mi familia y no en ese orden, claro! Le gustara que sus hijos siguieran sus pasos? Me gustara que hicieran deporte. Si les gusta el golf y se quieren dedicar profesionalmente a ello, y lo valen, los apoyar, sin duda. Hay que permitir que tus hijos consigan sus sueos, pero, eso s, con trabajo y perseverancia. Sin esfuerzo no hay recompensa, y mucho menos en golf. Eso es algo que quiero que tengan muy claro. Aparte del golf, cules son sus otras pasiones? Soy un apasionado de la caza. Me gusta cada vez ms. Es otra cosa que me inculcaron en casa, mi abuelo era cazador, mi padre, y ahora yo. Me divierte mucho la caza en general, aunque la que ms me atrae es la caza mayor. Tambin es una persona solidaria. Hblenos de la fundacin que lleva su nombre. La fundacin est un poco en stand by. La creamos hace un ao y medio, est constituida y nos falta verdaderamente encontrar el fin al que destinar los fondos que recaudemos. Lo que s tenemos claro es que recaudaremos a

travs del golf. Yo, por ejemplo, de todo el dinero que gano con este deporte, del material, etc., parte la destino a la fundacin. Ahora, nos queda definir a quin destinar el dinero, a qu causa. Nos gustara que fuese algo de nios. Ojal que pronto terminemos de dibujar este proyecto y que realmente comience a dar sus frutos. Es una forma de devolver un poco a la gente que no es tan privilegiada como nosotros. Repartir un poco de la suerte que me ha tocado entre los que no tienen tanta. Volviendo a los palos, cmo definira su juego? Errtico (sonre). No se, este ao con la lesin ha sido complicado. Mi juego tiene altibajos. Me cuesta mantener la consistencia. Pero, lo que quizs ms me defina es que soy un jugador muy temperamental, competitivo y muy luchador. No suelo dar las vueltas nunca por perdidas y no me rindo hasta el ltimo momento. Cules son sus puntos fuertes? y los dbiles? En facetas de juego que destaque quizs se pueda decir que en el juego corto. Pero vamos, nada verdaderamente reseable. Luego, hasta hace poco, mi punto dbil era el putt. Pero, lo cierto, es que desde hace un tiempo estoy pateando mejor. Creo que lo peor que tengo es la irregularidad. Puedo pasarme una semana jugando como los ngeles y, a la siguiente, no dar ni una.
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Lo que hago es ir al campo de prcticas y trabajar y trabajar, buscando el resultado esperado

Y cmo afronta estos cambios? Con trabajo. Es algo que afecta mucho. Sobre todo psicolgicamente. Pero, lo que hago es ir al campo de prcticas y trabajar y trabajar, buscando el resultado esperado. Hay que ser fro en estos casos. Aunque, la verdad, es difcil. Cul es la victoria que recuerda con ms cario? Te acuerdas de todas. Quizs la primera, por ser el inicio. Aunque, si tengo que elegir una, la ms importante para mi es la del British Masters que gan en Belfry en 2008, porque fue precioso. Jugando un play off de tres hoyos con Lee Westwood, el defensor del ttulo y el favorito porque jugaba en casaFue muy espectacular, es la que recuerdo con ms cario, aunque todas las victorias tienen su aquel. Y cul es el mayor triunfo que le gustara alcanzar? Obviamente me encantara ganar un grande o, simplemente, tener ocasin de jugar el Master de Augusta, participar en la Ryder Cup,hay muchas cosas que me gustara hacer. Pero bueno, si las lesiones me respetan, an tengo mucho tiempo por delante, tengo slo 31 aos. Ojal, paso a paso, se vayan consiguiendo metas. De entre los espaoles que pisan fuerte, a quin destacara? Aparte de Sergio Garca, que es nuestro diamante nacional y que merece estar en la lite mundial, yo, personalmente, tengo muchas esperanzas puestas en lvaro Quirs. Tiene un potencial tremendo y est haciendo un gran trabajo con su equipo tcnico,
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puliendo pequeos detalles de su swing y en cuanto lo consiga, est condenado a situarse en lo ms alto, y pelear por los primeros puestos del ranking mundial. Y de entre las jvenes promesas? Entre las promesas me quedo, por ejemplo, con Adrin Otaegui, Jorge Campillo y Pedro Oriol. Hay chavales con un gran futuro en nuestro pas que gracias al gran trabajo de las federaciones estn apuntando alto y, aunque son an muy jvenes, pisan fuerte. Y bueno, no podemos olvidarnos del golf femenino y de nombres como el de Zahara Muoz, Beln Mozo o Carlota Ciganda. El golf espaol, estoy seguro, nos va a dar muchas alegras en los prximos aos. Qu consejo dara a las nuevas generaciones que empiezan en este mundo? Que no tengan prisa en hacerse profesionales. Que el golf es un deporte con una vida muy larga. Se puede jugar hasta los cincuenta aos perfectamente. No hay necesidad de pasar a profesional con 16 aos. Que estudien, que se formen como personas. Y, por supuesto, que trabajen duro. Que aqu nadie regala nada. Para triunfar, hay que esforzarse. Para terminar, Cmo le gustara ser recordado cuando acabe tu carrera profesional? Como una buena persona, que hizo todo lo posible para llegar al mximo nivel que pudo. Cuando me retire, quiero poder pensar tranquilo que hice todo lo que estaba en mis manos para llegar a la cima. No quiero tener remordimiento por dejar algo en el camino sin haberlo intentado.l

EN CORTO:
l UN CAMPO DE GOLF: Valderrama. l UN JUGADOR: Severiano Ballesteros. l UNA VICTORIA: El segundo Masters de Augusta de Jos Mara Olazbal. l UN SUEO: Que mi familia sea feliz y est sana. l UN RECUERDO: Seguir a Seve cuando era nio.

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Gonzalo Fernndez Castao visited Sotogrande to take part in the Andaluca Masters. His trip to Valderrama seems to have brought luck to the golfer, who a few days later was victorious in the Barclays Singapore Open, following three years without a win. Now the Madrid-born player is unstoppable and among the top 50 in the world. The Sotogrande Magazine took advantage of his visit to the resort to discover the dreams, plans and memories of a true Sotogrande lover, who will no doubt bring a great deal of joy to Spanish golf in 2012.

ntil a few months ago, a back injury kept you out of action. As soon as you returned, in the Madrid Masters, you performed well, and then in the Castelln Masters you finished second: how are you feeling? Very good. Loving life. Since I came back after my injury, my back has been behaving itself. I have also been fortunate in that my return, in sporting terms, has been very good, and Im also enjoying a happy family life. So in general Im very content and wanting to be on the course as much as possible. I have to admit that not being able to play for six month has been very hard for me. Im a very competitive person and it has been really difficult to see the course and not be able to enjoy it. But, as they say, its just been a pain in the neck, and there are much worse things. Valderrama was the venue for the glorious Ryder Cup of 97; what does it feel like to play on this legendary course? Its a special feeling for me, because it really is a course I know pretty well. I play on it throughout the year and its also a course that has a lot of magnificent memories for this sport, from the Ryder Cup to the Volvo Masters, the World Championships... It has been a very important course for me since I was young. It wasnt that long ago that I was a child having fun on this course asking the players for autographs and balls. Now Im one of those players; its great.

Sotogrande is a paradise for golfers, both because of the number of courses and its climate. Are you a regular on its courses? Absolutely! I know them all well. You can ask me anything about them [he laughs]. We have a house in Marbella and I come to Sotogrande a lot to play all year round. What are your favourite courses in the resort? Theyre all fabulous, particularly La Reserva de Sotogrande, Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande, the two San Roque Club courses and Valderrama, of course. Valderrama makes me feel at home. Its something that is constantly repeated in this part of Andalusia. In Cadiz the people are fantastic and playing golf here is a real pleasure. Being in Valderrama, its inevitable that you will remember the recently decently deceased Severiano Ballesteros; what does this golfing great mean to you? If Im here today, its undoubtedly thanks to Severiano. Thats what he means to me! If were playing golf now, if the European Tour is what it is, and Im a golfer, to a large extent its all thanks to the work that Seve did, alongside the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, to open up golf and bring it to the people. All of this means that it is a sad year. However, its nice to see all the affection that we receive simply for being Balles-

teros fellow countrymen, its incredible. People were very fond of him and admired him greatly. Despite being from different generations, I had the privilege of sharing some wonderful moments with him, like the Seve Trophy in Ireland, where he was our captain. He is one of a kind. Focusing on you, tell us, how did you start out in the golf world? I play golf thanks to my father who was an enthusiast and he gave me the bug. My father strove (and he did it very well) to instil a love of sport in general in me and my sister. And not just golf: tennis, horse riding, hunting. Since were tiny, we went with him to everything sport-related and we also went to classes in various things. I went down the golf road, though I still do other activi-

A few days after the interview, Fernndez Castao won the Barclays Singapore Open

IF IM A GOLFER IS THANKS
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TO SEVE

BALLESTEROS

Texto: Mayte Soln Fotos: Eduardo de la Hoz - Martn Muoz

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ties. I would like to do the same with my children: instil in them a sportspersons life, the values that sport embodies which, in my opinion, are the same values one must have in life: determination, sacrifice, good manners, poise, patience... Thanks to my parents and the effort that they made, I am where I am. Now, with the popularisation of golf and the creation of public courses like La Caada in Guadiaro, the sport it easier to access. A key example is lvaro Quirs, who was a product, precisely, of this school; what do you think about these initiatives? La Caada has been a pioneering course in Spain and you just have to look at the young players it has produced and continues to produce. Starting with the entire Quirs family, with lvaro, who is not a member of that family... The work these courses do is indispensible. Its a fantastic way to bring golf to the people and show them that its not an elite sport, for posh people or anything like that. We shouldnt put labels on it. Golf is for everyone and you just have to look at the great examples of people of humble origin who have reached the top. Its a question of effort. In addition to being a golfer, youre a businessman, father and son... what is Fernndez Castaos daily life like? I have always been very much a golfer and now Im becoming more and more of a family man. As for the business side of things, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by a very professional

team and to be honest they do practically all the work. However, my facet as a businessman focuses on organising events, tournaments. For the past four years we have organised the Madrid Masters, we held the Andalusian Open with Miguel ngel Jimnez, we collaborated in the Andaluca Valderrama Masters... We are carving out a niche for ourselves in this market and, thank God, its going well, no small thing given the current climate! But my main focus is golf and my family, and not in that order of course! Would you like your children to follow in your footsteps? Id like them to play sport. If they like golf and want to become professionals, and they are good enough, then Ill support them, of course. You have to allow your children to pursue their own dreams, but always with hard work and perseverance. Without effort there is no reward, especially in golf. Its something I want them to understand very well. Aside from golf, what other passions do you have? Im passionate about hunting. I like it more and more. Its something else that was instilled in me at home; my grandfather was a hunter, so was my father... and now me. I really enjoy hunting in general, but big game hunting I find particularly attractive. You are also a charitable person. Tell us about the foundation named after you. The foundation is kind of on standby. We cre-

ated it a year and a half ago; its set up and we just need to find the cause that the funds that we collect will go to. One thing for certain is that we will raise money through golf. For instance, all the money I earn from this sport, from kit sponsorship etc, part of it I give to the foundation. Now we just have to decide who to donate the money to, which cause. Wed like it to be something for children. Lets hope we can finish outlining this project soon and it can really start to bear fruit. Its a way to give something back to people who are not as privileged as us. Sharing a bit of the luck I have had with those who have had less. Going back to the clubs, how would you describe your game? Erratic [he smiles]. I dont know... this year with the injury its been difficult. My game has highs and lows. Im finding it hard to be consistent. But perhaps one thing that defines me is that Im very temperamental and competitive. Im a fighter. I never give up a round as lost and I keep fighting until the last moment. What are your strengths and weaknesses? In terms of an aspect of my game that stands out, its perhaps my short play. But its nothing really significant. Until not long ago, my weakness was my putting. But for some time now I have been putting better. I think my worse side is my inconsistency. I can spend a week playing like a dream and then the next week nothing goes right. How do you deal with these changes? With hard work. Its something that affects you a lot. Particularly psychologically. But what

Playing golf in Sotogrande is a pleasure I enjoy all year round

I think lvaro Quirs will compete for the top places in the world

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When I retire I want to know that I did everything within my grasp to reach the top.

I do is go out on the practice range and work and work, looking for the desired result. You have to stay cool in these situations. But to be honest its difficult. Which victory do you remember most fondly? You remember them all. Perhaps the first, because it was the beginning. But if I had to choose one, the most important one, for me it was the British Masters, which I won at Belfry in 2008, because it was beautiful. Playing a three-hole tiebreaker with Lee Westwood, who was defending his title and was the favourite because he was playing at home... It was spectacular; its the one I remember most fondly, though every victory has a certain something. Whats the highest honour you would like to achieve? Obviously Id love to win a major or just to have a chance to play in the Augusta Masters, to take part in the Ryder Cup... there are a lot of things Id like to do. If Im lucky with injuries, Ive still got a lot of time ahead of me; Im only 31 years old. Hopefully, step by step, I will achieve my goals. Among the Spaniards who are making an impact, who would you single out? Aside from Sergio Garca, who is our national treasure and deserves to be among the world elite, personally I have big hopes for lvaro Quirs. He has enormous potential and is doing some great work with his coaching team, perfecting minor

details of his swing, and when he gets there he is destined to position himself at the highest level and to compete for the top places in the world ranking. And among the promising young players? Among the young hopefuls there is Adrin Otaegui, Jorge Campillo and Pedro Oriol, for instance. There are youngsters with a great future in our country and thanks to the work of the federations they are aiming high and, though theyre still young, theyre making an impact. And we cant forget womens golf and names like Zahara Muoz, Beln Mozo and Carlota Ciganda. Spanish golf, Im certain, will bring us a lot of joy in years to come. What advice would you give the new generations starting in this world? Not to be in a hurry to become professionals. Golf is a sport with a very long lifespan. You can easily play until you are fifty. There is no need to become a professional at 16 years of age. Study and develop as people. And of course, work hard. Nobody gets anything for free. To win, you have to make the effort. Finally, how would you like to be remembered when your professional career ends? As a good person who did everything he could to reach as high as he could. When I retire I want to know that I did everything within my grasp to reach the top. I dont want to have regrets because I have left something by the wayside without attempting it.n
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IN BRIEF
l A GOLF COURSE: Valderrama. l A PLAyER: Severiano Ballesteros. l A VICTORy: Jos Mara Olazbals second Augusta Masters. l A DREAM: For my family to be happy and healthy. l A MEMORy: Supporting Seve when I was a boy.

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