The World Golf Championships Real Club de Golf de Sevilla Sevilla, Spain

Champion: South Africa Purse: $4.0 million

Odds to win tournament , Player vs. Player daily match ups - Click here to view odds 

The Real Club de Golf de Sevilla was inaugurated in 1992 and is considered to be one of the best courses in Europe. Designed by José María Olazábal, the course is well-balanced and demanding, characterised by wide fairways and generous greens well-protected by 96 spectacular siliceous sand bunkers.

José María Olazábal has expressed his satisfaction at the RCGS, the second course he has designed, being designated home to the World Cup.

"It was designed 10 years ago and I did not think that in such a short space of time it would be able to hold such an important event. From an objective point of view, I am very proud and full of satisfaction," he said.

In Olazábal's opinion, "over the last 10 years the course has matured greatly thanks to the quality of the grass and the planting of trees and vegetation." The Spanish golfer lays great stress on the course's length and difficulty around the greens. "The greens are very well protected by bunkers and that is where the difficulty and worth of the course is really apparent."

Olazábal says that No. 15 "is probably the most complicated of all, depending on wind speed and direction. This is where the end of the round really gets interesting and becomes decisive. The arrival to No. 16, a par 5, is good and we will see a lot of birdies and a few eagles. No. 17 is a difficult par 3 and the fairway to No. 18 is going to be narrowed slightly in order to increase its difficulty."

Olazábal further explained, "the course was built on an estate that was excessively flat, but it was landscaped to a great degree, in order to make it quite frankly, a good -- no -- a great course. It will be a hard test for all of the players since they will have to use all types of shots. They will have to use all of the clubs in their bag and the way I see it, the players will reach the par 5s well while the par 3s and 4s will be a real challenge."

Presentation of the Course

No. 1
Par 4 358m.
An easy hole to begin the round. We will drive off towards the left of the fairway to avoid the two bunkers on the right. We might try for a birdie since the second shot will be with a wedge.

No. 2
Par 4 409m.
This is one of the course's most difficult holes where we must first hit a long drive so as not to use an excessively long iron on the second shot. The position of the flag is a decisive factor in the hole's difficulty.

No. 3
Par 3 155m.
The tee is in an elevated position and the green surrounded by water. This is the round's most difficult par 3 since we will be using a medium iron.

No. 4
Par 4 393m.
A downward-sloping hole that requires a good drive and a very accurate medium iron in order to reach the green, well-protected by 3 bunkers. The green is a pronounced oval with three platforms.

No. 5
Par 5 465m.
An upward sloping, straight hole. The ball must fall between the water to the right and a bunker to the left. This is a recovery par 5 since the green can be reached in two shots.

No. 6
Par 4 400m.
A difficult hole with a left dogleg. The drive's descent is not easy since the hole is protected by water to the left and two bunkers to the right. It requires a highly accurate iron for the second shot towards a green with two platforms and well-protected by its four bunkers.

No. 7
Par 3 186m.
A slightly upward-sloping hole that requires to be played with a long iron. The entrance to the green is protected by three bunkers.

No. 8
Par 4 344m.
As the second shortest par 4 on the course, this is a relatively easy hole without any great obstacles. The fairway is protected by one bunker to the left and another to the left of the drive's descent. A good shot off the tee turns this into an easy par 4 with a real chance of attacking the flag.

No. 9
Par 5 495m.
This hole is long and difficult. It requires a long, accurate drive since the descent of the drive to the left is protected by a lake and two bunkers. After a good shot, the drive does not present any great problem.

No. 10
Par 4 363m.
A right dogleg the drive must be accurate since the fairway is protected by two bunkers to the right and two to the left. The green is protected by water to the right and a bunker at the back.

No. 11
Par 3 175m.
A highly complicated hole with a small green protected by five bunkers. It must be played with a highly accurate medium iron due to the green's platforms.

No. 12
Par 4 346m
Right dogleg. This hole offers breathing space presenting no great difficulties but the position of the flag must be borne in mind in order to avoid three-putts.

No. 13
Par 5 472m.
An easy par 5, easily reached in two shots but where the out of bounds to the left must be avoided.

No. 14
Par 4 de 400m.
This is a highly complicated hole, requiring a straight drive between two stands of trees and a highly accurate second shot to the green, well-protected by water both to its front and its left.

No. 15
Par 4 399m.
This hole is long and difficult. It requires a long, accurate drive since the descent of the drive to the left is protected by a lake while to the left are two bunkers. After a good shot, the drive does not present any great problem.

No. 16
Par 5 478m.
With a long, accurate drive, the green can be reached in two shots, if we risk hitting the ball over the water that protects the green's entrance.

No. 17
Par 3 187m.
This is a difficult par 3 where the slope of the green and the two bunkers at its entrance must be borne well in mind.

No. 18
Par 4 388m.
This is a difficult hole to finish off the round. The drive's descent is protected by a large lake to the left and two bunkers to the right. The lake bordering the green increases the difficulty of the second shot.