Madeira Islands Open goes to Seve
island masterpiece

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY EUROPEAN TOUR
By Michael Gibbons, Press Officer.
The 2009 edition of the Madeira Islands Open will find a new home at the breathtaking Seve Ballesteros-designed Porto Santo Golfe.
Constructed on a unique site on the tiny island of Porto Santo, Porto Santo Golfe is a stunning piece of golf course architecture that stretches up and through the island’s dramatic basalt cliffs to the wonderful par-3 13th hole, where the tee shot must traverse a dramatic gorge to find the cliff-top putting surface.
Porto Santo Island itself is part of the Portuguese archipelago that includes the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Africa.
The Madeira Islands Open will be staged for the 16th year in 2009, with Porto Santo Golfe becoming the second venue to host the event following the Santo da Serra Golf Club (1993-2007).
Ricardo Abreu, Member of the Madeira Islands Open Organising Committee, said: "This new venue is a Seve masterpiece, which will be the perfect start to The European Tour’s return to Europe. This idyllic island is considered by many as the Caribbean of the Atlantic. Porto Santo Golfe is a dream course both for its scenic beauty as well as for its challenging layout. "
Keith Waters, Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said: “We are delighted to announce that the Madeira Islands Open will be staged at Porto Santo Golfe in 2009.
“We are confident that our Members will be suitably impressed by the quality of the golf course and facilities at Porto Santo, while the unique lay-out of the course will make the Madeira Islands Open one of the most spectacular settings on The 2009 European Tour International Schedule.”

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