Spanish Golf Legend Dies

Published:

Jaime Ortiz-Patino, the owner of Valderrama and one of the driving forces behind the growth of golf in Spain, has died at the age of 82.

Known as “Jimmy” to his friends, Ortiz-Patino, whose grandfather was a wealthy Bolivian tin magnate, owned a golf club and amassed a collection of golfing memorabilia that captured the history of the game over 500 years, including clubs, balls and books.

He was also responsible for bringing the Ryder Cup to Spain for the first time in 1997, when Seve Ballesteros’s European Team sealed a dramatic 14½ – 13½ over the USA to retain Samuel Ryder’s trophy.

Born to Bolivian parents in Paris in June 1930, Ortiz-Patino created the Valderrama course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, in the mid 1980s.

The course was the home of the Volvo Masters between 1988 and 1996 and from 2002 to 2008 and has also hosted the Amex World Championships and the Andalucia Masters.

In 2010, he was made an Honorary Life Vice President of the European Tour, awarded for his colossal contribution to the Tour over the past 25 years.

In a statement, the Spanish Golf Federation said: “All our members would like to express their deepest condolences to family and friends. Rest in peace.”

 

 

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