July 18, 2023 – La Sella Golf’s renowned course in Alicante has officially inaugurated its first Open, a significant highlight on the Ladies European Tour 2023 that will gather the best female golfers in the world over the next four days and that—aside from any sporting outcome–has already made Spanish golfing history as the women’s tournament offering the biggest prize money in the country ever: €1,000,000.

The tournament’s opening ceremony, held this afternoon, has been a huge success full of emotion. The players, their caddies and family members, together with numerous golf professionals, attended La Sella Open’s official welcome party.

An informal cocktail party was thrown to mark such an occasion at the Denia Marriott La Sella Golf Resort & Spa swimming pool, accompanied by flamenco music. Guests were able to enjoy a pleasant, relaxed and festive atmosphere, with the players allowed a moment to relax and enjoy themselves before being pitted against each other in the great contest on La Sella’s challenging course between 20 and 23 July.

Carlos García, director of La Sella Golf, has been in charge of welcoming the hundred-or-so elite players signed up for this competition—the true stars of a tournament that marks a watershed moment in women’s golf by attempting to match the financial recognition they receive in competitions compared to their male counterparts. In this sense, the La Sella Golf director’s welcome speech underlined the importance of this Open in promoting female golf and consolidating Spain as a prime destination on the international circuit. “We want to give a warm welcome to a competition with the ethos of being a ‘tournament for the ladies’ that seeks equality for women on par with men,” Carlos García stressed.

During the event, LET tournament director Joao Pinto awarded La Sella Golf with a commemorative plaque as the official tournament venue, highlighting the outstanding support that this course has lent to women’s golf. “We are delighted to be able to hand over this official plaque to La Sella Golf in recognition of their hosting of the Ladies European Tour,” he said.

This acknowledgement comes at the end of a long list of important international competitions for women that have been held at La Sella Golf, such as the Women’s European Nations Cup, held four years in-a-row from 2008 to 2011 and the LET Rookie Orientation Week in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Impeccable installations, together with its track record of exceptional technical quality and its recently-reformed stunning landscape have made La Sella Golf the perfect choice for elite competitions. As the LET tournament director pointed out in La Sella Open’s official opening ceremony, “the facilities at La Sella Golf are superb, and this prestigious course has its own challenges and rewards for players competing this week.”

The mayor of Dénia, Mr. Vicente Grimalt and the President of the Valencian Golf Federation, Mr. Juan Pintor, also attended the inauguration of the Open. Both have shown their support for this tournament taking place in the region of Valencia, and for breaking onto the professional circuit.

Big buildup to the impending tournament 

La Sella Open presents an exciting programme guaranteeing a first-class competition and an unforgettable experience for players as well as the large turnout expected at the tournament.

• Wednesday, July 19^th: Official training sessions.
• Thursday, July 20^th: First day of competition.
• Friday, July 21^st: Second day of competition and cut.
• Saturday, July 22^nd: Third day of competition.
• Sunday, July 23^rd: Last day of competition and awards ceremony.

This event is open to the public.