Final shootout in Valderrama this week

Expect fireworks in Spain this coming weekend when the Volvo Masters climaxes the European Tour at Valderrama — and not only because it'll likely feature a Retief Goosen-Padraig Harrington shoot-out for the European Crown.

The end of the season battle between the Goose, last year's European tour title holder and current leader on the European money list, and the Irish 2002 Ryder Cup hero and defending champion at Valderrama, should be choc-full of drama to be sure.

With no more than €23 119 separating the two antagonists, and with heavy prize money starting at €522 778, and extending all the way down to 36th place before the amount to be won actually becomes less than their current difference in earnings, the possibilities are endless.

Yet there is more, much more, to make this a not-to-be-forgotten, end-of-season extravaganza.

For one thing the field, easily the best anywhere in Europe this year, boasts no less than 24 of this year's tour winners.

For another, it includes 11 members of the European Ryder Cup team that triumphed 15½ to 12½ at the Belfry last month.

Along with Harrington they include Paul McGinley, the fellow countryman he beat to win last year's Volvo Masters, Denmark's Thomas Björn, England's Lee Westwood, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, Sweden's Niclas Fasth and Pierre Fulke, Spaniard Sergio Garcia, German Bernhard Langer, Scot Colin Montgomerie and Welshman Phillip Price.

Six of them are former winners of the Masters, but none have won it more than once.

Indeed no one has won it twice in its 16 years of existence — a statistic Harrington would probably prefer not to hear, because Goosen is one of it's strongest contenders still to triumph. Another statistic that won't be music to Harrington's ears is that only two former winners, Ronan Rafferty in 1989 and Monty in 1993, have managed to use the Masters to clinch the Number One Spot on the Volvo Order of Merit.

Montgomerie won it in 1993 on his way to tying up the Volvo Order of Merit for the first time in his record run of seven consecutive victories.

A year later Langer established one of the longest-surviving course records in European Tour history with his 9-under 62 in winning the Masters from Seve Ballesteros and Vijay Singh.

Goosen, who holds many of tournament's records without ever having won it, later matched Langer’s mark with a 62 of his own in 1999.

It was Westwood's turn to win 1997 when the tournament moved to Montecastillo Hotel and Golf Resort and Clarke's turn in 1998.

Clarke looked all set to win again the following year when the only-one-win curse struck. Fulke holed a majestic five wood at the 70th to squeeze past the Ulsterman.

Under the watchful eye of owner Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, Valderrama, which first hosted the Volvo Masters in 1988 when Nick Faldo won with a total of 284, has established a reputation for excellence, and hosted the 32nd Ryder Cup Matches in 1997 and the WGC-American Express Championship in 1999 and 2000.

But the big guns, which along with Goosen include two other significant, yet-to-win contenders in Garcia and Bjorn, are not going to be the only contenders blazing away at the big prizes.

Some of the Tour's exciting young turks like last week's winner, Ian Poulter, Ulster's Graeme McDowell, Denmark's Anders and Soren Hansen, England's Paul Casey, Australia's Adam Scott and South Africa's Trevor Immelman will also be gunning for it.

Yes, after the smoke and dust of what is almost certain to be a hard-fought Spanish battle, it's going to be very interesting to see who'll be the last man standing.

Perhaps the only thing you can be reasonably sure of is that it's not likely to unearth another first-time tour winner. It never has before.

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