The DP World Tour makes a welcome return to one of Spanish golf's most storied venues this week as Real Club de Golf El Prat plays host to the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship.
Between 1978 and 2015, the Barcelona venue staged 11 events across two tournaments and now, over a decade after James Morrison lifted the trophy at the 2015 Open de España, it is back for a 12th appearance.
Here, we take a look at the club's long and illustrious history on the DP World Tour and some of the golfing greats who have won there.
Early days
The club has been around since 1912 but it has not always been known by its current name and was originally Barcelona Golf Club and then Pedralbes Golf Club.
The first golf club in Barcelona, it gained its Royal status following a visit from King Alfonso XIII and in 1954 made its first move to land near Barcelona Airport and took the name Real Club de Golf El Prat.
In 1956 it would host its first Open de España, won by Ryder Cup star and future beloved broadcaster Peter Alliss.
It would continue to host the event periodically, with Open Championship great Peter Thomson (1959), Ramón Sota (1963) and Dales Hayes (1971) all lifting the trophy.
The DP World Tour era dawns
Just a year after Hayes' victory, the DP World Tour - then the European Tour - came into existence, with the Open de España its first event.
That edition was not held at El Prat but the event returned in 1978 and Scotsman Brian Barnes won by two shots.
Three years later, the great Seve Ballesteros, by then already a superstar, was finally a winner of his home open and he would go on to become the only player to date to win two DP World Tour events at El Prat.
Barcelona Open
The Open de España would not return to El Prat for 17 years but in that period it would host five editions of the Barcelona Open and bring glory to some of Europe's biggest names.
Des Smyth was the winner of what was known as the Sanyo Open by a single shot in 1983 and a year later he would lose out in a play-off to Sam Torrance.
In 1985, Ballesteros won his second title at El Prat and there was golry for more Spanish golfing royalty 12 months later as then rising star José María Olazábal won his second DP World Tour title - and second in as many months en route to being crowned Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the year.
The event would return as the Torras Hostench Barcelona Open for its final edition in 1988 as David Whelan defeated Sir Nick Faldo, Barry Lane and Mark Mouland in a play-off for his only DP World Tour title.
Real Club de Golf El Prat on DP World Tour facts
| Real Club de Golf El Prat | Facts |
|---|---|
| DP World Tour events | 11 |
| Multiple winners | Seve Ballesteros (2) |
| Most appearances | Antonio Garrido and Mark James (9) |
| Most top tens | Jose Maria Cañizares (5) |
| First-time winners | David Whelan and Thomas Aiken |
| Wire-to-wire winners | Seve Ballesteros (1985 Sanyo Open) |
| Low 18 (old course) | 63 (-9) Alvaro Salto and Jose Maria Cañizares |
| Low 18 (new course - Yellow) | 64 (-8) Scott Jamieson |
| Low 72 (old course) | 267 (-21) Thomas Bjørn and Jarmo Sandelin |
| Low 72 (new course - Yellow) | 278 (-10) Thomas Aiken and James Morrison |
| Largest winning margin | 4 shots, Jarmo Sandelin and James Morrison |
*This week players will be playing the Pink Course
Open de España returns
A decade would pass before the DP World Tour returned to El Prat for the Peugeot Open de España, the first of back-to-back Spanish Opens held at the venue in 1998 and 1999.
It would prove to be a mini period of Scandinavian dominace as first Dane Thomas Bjørn and then Swede Jarmo Sandelin prevailed at record scores of 21 under.
New century, new start
In 2003, the club moved home for the second time, with the expansion of the nearby airport necessitating a shift north to the Bonvilar country estate on the outskirts of Barcelona.
The Greg Norman-designed layout had its first DP World Tour return in 2011, with Thomas Aiken winning his maiden DP World Tour title at the Open de España.
The event was hit with sadness, however, as the great Ballesteros passed away on the Saturday, almost 30 years after his national open triumph at El Prat.
The venue would host the Open de España for a tenth time in 2015 as Morrison claimed a four-shot victory and now we return for the first time in almost 11 years.
