The Royal Spanish Golf Federation, at the request of the Honors Committee and after approval by the Board of Directors, has promoted the awarding of ten Gold Medals and nine Plaques of Merit in Golf in recognition of relevant actions in the field of this sport. Finca Cortesín, venue of the Solheim Cup, has been one of the distinguished in this edition.
Elías Bendodo, member of the Congress of Deputies, has been recognized with the Gold Medal of Merit in Golf for his strong support to this sport when he assumed the responsibility of President of the Provincial Council of Malaga. During that long period of time numerous initiatives were carried out aimed at the sport, tourism and social projection of golf in a territorial demarcation that has become for years a world golf destination of undisputed prestige.
Another nine Gold Medals for Merit in Golf were awarded to the members of the Spanish teams that won the Absolute European Team and Individual Men’s and Women’s Championships last summer.
Jaime Montojo, Ángel Ayora and Joseba Torres -accompanied by José Luis Ballester, Javier Barcos, Luis Masaveu, José Miguel Sagnier (captain), Salva Luna (coach) and Pablo Fisas (official), who already received it in previous years- have been distinguished with the highest federative recognition for their achievement of the highest award in the European Men’s Absolute Team Championship held at the Belgian course of Royal Waterloo Golf Club in mid-July.
Spain repeated the triumph achieved in 2022, reaffirming its position as a continental power with six titles to its name in this tournament after beating Denmark 4-3 in the final.
The six members of the Spanish team that won the European Women’s Team Championship have also been awarded the Gold Medal for Merit in Golf. Julia López, Cayetana Fernández, Carolina López-Chacarra, Lucía López, Carla Tejedo and Carla Bernat -the first of them with the additional merit of winning the European Women’s Individual Championship this year- are the recipients of this recognition, accompanied from the captaincy by Mar Ruiz de la Torre, who already received this same award in 2018.
On this occasion, Spain won its sixth title in a Women’s Absolute European Championship, beating the powerful England in the final by 4.5 to 2.5. The Spanish sextet, at an excellent level all week, also ratified itself as a top European power on the course of Tawast Golf & Country Club, in southern Finland.
Additionally, the RFEG has awarded nine Plates of Merit in Golf, destined to institutions that have stood out for their contribution to the sport of golf. Of the nine, eight of them are related to the tireless commitment to make the Costa del Sol a world-class golf tourist destination.
The celebration of tournaments of the most prestigious professional circuits, the establishment of the Race to Costa del Sol and the energetic support to the organization of the Solheim Cup and the PING Junior Solheim Cup for the first time in Spain has led the RFEG to award the set of Andalusian institutions that have made all this possible in recent years: Junta Andalucía, Diputación de Málaga, ACOSOL, Ayuntamiento de Marbella, Ayuntamiento de Casares, Ayuntamiento de Benahavís, Finca Cortesín and La Zagaleta.
Finally, the RFEG has awarded the Club de Golf Son Servera with the Plaque of Merit in Golf in recognition of its long and outstanding promotion of the sport of golf since it was founded in 1967, which distinguishes it as the second oldest in the Balearic Islands.
The promotion of a Golf School where the care and pampering of the junior players is part of the idiosyncrasy of this Mallorcan club, cradle of numerous golfers who have won Spanish championship titles, with special mention for the professional Nuria Iturrioz.
Son Servera has 700 members, distinguishing itself as a leader in the generation of new licenses in the Balearic Islands. It offers free introductory courses every month and is involved in promoting Mallorca as a golf tourist destination.
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