The headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee was the venue, for the ninth time in history, for the Golf 2024 Gala, which on this occasion paid special tribute to the figure of Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation for the past 16 years, who has declined to stand for re-election on this occasion.
Juan Guerrero-Burgos, the only candidate for the Presidency who communicated his desire to accede to the position, new President by acclamation, praised the brilliant and prolific activity of Gonzaga Escauriaza throughout his four mandates, in which Spanish golf has exhibited a commendable unity of action among all its levels, a lever on which numerous initiatives have been built that have contributed to significantly improve the image of our sport in Spanish society as a whole, apart from the numerous sporting successes accumulated in the last 16 years.
Several videos reviewing this trajectory and of general gratitude were shown during a Gala where the Spanish golf family also paid tribute to the great winners of this season, all of them protagonists of a sensational year, as well as to various people and institutions that have contributed especially to the development of this sport in our country.
Not surprisingly, the Gala of Spanish Golf 2024 has hosted the presentation of the Medals of Merit in Golf, a total of ten awards that have fallen, in its Gold category, to Pablo Mansilla, Diego Cambreleng, Vicente Sainz, Ignacio Evangelio, Jesús Barrera, Francisco Centeno, Javier Gómez-Acebo, Fernando Álvarez-Lafuente, Santiago Fernández and Carmelo Castillo.
Additionally, the RFEG has awarded the Plaque of Merit in Golf, destined to institutions that have stood out for their contribution to the sport of golf, to the Spanish Professional Association of Informers (APEI).
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Dozens of awards in the sports field, an outstanding year
In the purely sporting field, trophies were awarded in recognition of the dozens of golfers who have achieved international victories throughout an outstanding 2024, both in amateur and professional competitions, with special mention for the US Amateur won by José Luis Ballester for the first time in the history of Spanish golf, as well as for the gold medals obtained in the World University Championship and in the European Mid Amateur Men’s Championship.
In this amateur field it is also necessary to highlight the valuable medals won in various high-level competitions, which have made Spain a continental reference. In the men’s category, the applause was centered on Luis Masaveu, Pablo Ereño, Jaime Montojo, Álvaro Portillo and, once again, José Luis Ballester, who in their time lifted the trophies of the Portugal International, the Saint Andrews Trophy and various competitions included in the University League of the United States.
The spectacular season of Andrea Revuelta from Madrid, one of the main protagonists of the year thanks to her victory in the Copa S. M. La Reina, the silver medal in the European Individual, her participation in the PING Junior Solheim Cup or the fifth place -best amateur- in the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España Femenino won by Carlota Ciganda, has not been forgotten either.
The awards to Carla Bernat, Paula Martín, Julia López, Cayetana Fernández and Carolina López-Chacarra for their first places in the American NCAA, as well as Ane Urchegui for winning the bronze medal at the Mid Amateur European Championship, completed the more than remarkable list of women’s triumphs.
All this without forgetting, among the youngest players, the silver medal won by the Spanish team at the U16 European Championship – where Martina Navarro won another silver medal in the individual competition – or the strong emergence of Yago Horno and Ángela Revuelta to win the U14 England International and to take the silver medal at the Evian Juniors Cup, respectively.
In addition, the Pitch & Putt – Prakash Aisa’s victory in the French Open – has also been part of the list of winners before the Spanish Golf Gala focused on the great performance of the best professionals, who have accumulated seventeen victories in most of the Circuits.
In this sense, it is worth mentioning the Spanish victories in the Spanish Open Men and Women thanks to the talent of Ángel Hidalgo and Carlota Ciganda, a fact that previously only occurred in the 2021 edition, when the Spaniards Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Carlota Ciganda wrote their names on the list of winners.
In addition, in this successful 2024, Jon Rahm added two victories in the LIV Golf Tour, a stage where Sergio García also won. Adrian Otaegui and Ignacio Elvira lifted trophies in the DP World Tour, as did David Puig in the Asian Tour. Three triumphs in the Challenge Tour by Joel Moscatel (two) and Ángel Ayora, and four in the Alps Tour by José Antonio Sintes, Albert Boneta -both considered amateurs when they won-, Mario Galiano and Alejandro Aguilera, complete the list in the men’s category.
In addition to Carlota Ciganda’s victory, the Spanish sporting curriculum was also enhanced by the contributions of Marta Martín in the LET and Fátima Fernández in the Epson Tour.
The vibrant speech of Alejandro Blanco, President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, highlighting and thanking Gonzaga Escauriaza for his work at the head of the RFEG, put the finishing touch to this party, which has also been a way of thanking all the members and the institutions that make up Spanish golf for their undeniable support and willingness to make our sport a little better every day.
“In the RFEG you are clear about what you have to do. You only give joy and good results. Golf has excellence in its DNA and I know that you will continue working together in that direction. The legacy is magnificent and Juan Guerrero-Burgos now has the task of continuing to expand that line,” said the President of the COE.
Addressing Gonzaga Escauriaza, new Honorary President of the RFEG, Alejandro Blanco stated that “you have contributed a lot and we have shared a lot, but I am left with the heart you have. You have been, are and will be a reference in Spanish sport. Be proud of the changeover within the RFEG. You change the person, but not a model that works. My eternal gratitude to you, Gonzaga”.
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