Spain's La Manga Club has won widespread praise and been hailed for its all-round excellence after staging the inaugural PGAs of Europe La Manga Club International Pro-Am with overwhelming success this month.

An international field of 25 teams made up of professionals and amateurs from across Europe and beyond including Holland, United Arab Emirates, Austria, France, Czech Republic, Israel, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Ireland and the UK gathered at the resort in Murcia to take part in the new event.
With La Manga Club's renowned South and West courses providing a thorough examination of the players' skills, Holland's Joost Steenkamer emerged to take top honours in the professional tournament as he completed a four-shot win after mounting a stunning comeback in his final nine holes.

PGA of Spain professional James Ferraby and his team of Russian amateurs, Pavel Shestopalov, Vitaly Samsonov and Alfonso Grijalva, claimed first prize in the team competition after scoring 89 Stableford points in the 54-hole event, and everyone was unanimous in their verdict of the new tournament and La Manga Club, with PGAs of Europe chief executive Ian Randell leading the plaudits.

"It has been a great pleasure for the PGAs of Europe to reignite our relationship with the La Manga Club this week with this pro-am," said Randell.  
"Director of golf Gary Silcock and the team at La Manga Club has done an incredible job, and prepared and executed a tournament befitting of the club and its rich history with us.  Our tournament schedule has greatly advanced this year and it is fitting that we have been able to return to La Manga Clubwhere much of the association's early history was formed.  

"With 25 teams from across the continent enjoying the fabulous facilities, this inaugural pro-am has been an unqualified success."

Formerly the continental European base of the PGAs of Europe, hosting the association's Annual Congress and International Team Championships, the event was the first time for many years that the PGAs of Europe has joined forces with Spain's flagship resort after reviving the relationship.

In addition to golf, competitors also enjoyed four nights' five-star bed and breakfast hotel accommodation and a number of other benefits including a lavish gala dinner and prize-giving ceremony, and La Manga Club general manager Jose Asenjo is aiming for the event to become a regular fixture on the golfing calendar.

"It was an honour for La Manga Club to work with the PGAs of Europe again and we hope this will be the start of a long-lasting relationship," said Asenjo after watching Steenkamer close out victory.

"The event was a huge success and was a further opportunity for us to demonstrate why the resort is so popular with golfers from all over the continent.
"We have received some fantastic feedback and comments, and the response is a further illustration that La Manga Club's appeal to both professionals and amateurs remains stronger than ever."

Second-round leader Steenkamer looked to have blown his chance of victory after reaching the turn of his last round in 42 shots which included five bogeys.
But the Dutchman rallied brilliantly, carding four birdies in his final nine holes to finish on level par for the tournament, comfortably clear of PGA of Sweden professional Mikael Lundberg with PGA of GB & Ireland professional Brendan McGovern taking third place.

The pro-am forms part of a busy winter and spring programme for La Manga Club that will see it confirm its position as Europe's leading sports and leisure destination.

As well as staging the 2014 Spanish Seniors International Amateur Championship last month, La Manga Club - voted Spain's top golf resort by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine for the third year in a row in January - will host the finale to Scandivania's Ecco Tour later this month.

A new Leadbetter Golf Academy, the only such facility in mainland Spain, is set to open in the coming months while an on-going and extensive upgrade to the resort's driving range will complement the resort's other five-star golf facilities, which include three 18-hole championship courses.  

As well as golf, the resort boasts unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination including a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses, more than 20 bars and restaurants and is great fun for children.

For a full list of the final tournament scores, go to http://eur.pe/1cdjmcX and for more information on La Manga Club and to book, call 00 34 968 17 5577, email reseervas@lamangaclub.com or visit www.lamangaclub.com.

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For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club - www.lamangaclub.com - is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. 

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.
La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.