2004 Sterne saves card with win

The par-71 Club de Campo in central Madrid took over from Puerta de Hierro as the permanent home for the Madrid Open in 2001 after the event was suspended from 1993.

Its traditional end-of-year slot usually attracts a decent field as players scramble for qualification for Volvo Masters places two weeks later.

Club de Campo is an appropriate venue, demanding accuracy and an ice-nerve from the tee and carefully considered course management.

Most of the fairways are tree-lined and fairly tight and several greens are two-tiered. There's no water on the course, though, and at 6,967 yards is on the shortish side for a European Tour track.

Last year South African Richard Sterne romped to a two-stroke victory here with an 18-under-par 266 total.

HARDEST HOLE: The 466-yard first provides a rude awakening to the field.

Teeing off from an elevated tee, players must strike over thick woodland for 100 yards on to the fairway which then turns right towards the green. The fairway is tree-lined on both sides.

The putting surface is well protected by bunkers and is two-tiered, like so many at Club de Campo.

In 2004, it averaged 4.24 shots a time with only 13 birdies there and over three times as many bogeys or worse.

EASIEST HOLE: The 518-yard par-five fourth is another big dog-leg right but should offer the field a strong birdie opportunity.

Certainly, in 2004, they made the most of it, picking up 51 birdies here and seven eagles. Only eight bogeys or worse were conceded for an average of 4.53 shots a time.

The only major danger is that players can run out of room on the right from the tee but a well-struck, accurate drive sets up a long to mid-iron in to a decent-sized green and a two-putt birdie.

Colin Montgomerie is in the kind of form which reaped him seven Order of Merits on the trot during the 1990s and will be a hot favourite to win again this week to boost his push for number eight.

His main dangers are likely to come from the home challenge with Jose Maria Olazabal, Ignacio Garrido and Miguel Angel Jimenez also in the field. Watch out too for Irish threats Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell.

Information: Reuters Stats