Juan Guerrero-Burgos has been elected President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, a position he will hold for the next four years. The members present and represented at the Extraordinary General Assembly endorsed by acclamation the new President, the twelfth in the history of this federative body.
Juan Guerrero-Burgos, who succeeds Gonzaga Escauriaza – at the head of the RFEG since 2008 – was the only person who had presented his candidacy for President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation within the deadline established for this purpose, so it was not necessary for the assembly members to vote.
At that time, Juan Guerrero-Burgos had the support of 155 of the 172 possible representatives in the Assembly, a number that implied, in percentage terms, the support of 90% of the Extraordinary General Assembly.
In his first speech as President of the RFEG, Juan Guerrero-Burgos addressed all those present to thank them for their support before praising Gonzaga Escauriaza and describing his brilliant and prolific activity at the head of Spanish golf during his four terms of office.
“Gonzaga has been, is and will be the best ambassador of Spanish golf. It has been a great honor to work with you during all these years, a privilege to enjoy your friendship and an enormous responsibility to succeed you in the position”, said the new President of the RFEG about his predecessor.
Juan Guerrero-Burgos expressed his gratitude for “the trust placed in me by all the different levels, especially the federated members, who are the ones who support the RFEG, all the institutions of Spanish golf, the technicians, the referees and the clubs, which are also the cornerstone of our sport”.
The new President of the RFEG went on to recall “Emma Villacieros and Luis Álvarez de Bohorques. They instilled that money in sport is for sport, and in golf we fulfill that premise thanks to hundreds and hundreds of people who work altruistically throughout the year”.
Finally, Juan Guerrero-Burgos said that “I do not want to forget the employees, whose work makes the excellence of the RFEG possible. I embrace the Kennedian spirit, which advocated answering the question ‘what can you do for the RFEG”. In my case I promise illusion and work. And, please, do not compare me with Gonzaga Escauriaza, who is an unrepeatable figure”.
The new President of the RFEG also emphasized that Spanish golf has shown a commendable unity of action among all levels, a lever on which numerous initiatives have been built that have contributed to significantly improve -apart from the numerous sporting successes accumulated in the last 16 years- the image of the sport of golf in Spanish society as a whole.
With these premises, the members of the assembly decided to appoint Gonzaga Escauriaza as Honorary President of the RFEG, an initiative supported by all the members of the Extraordinary General Assembly.
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Juan Guerrero-Burgos, a person with strong ties to golf
Born in Madrid in 1955, Juan Guerrero-Burgos Pereiro is a lawyer by profession, member of the Madrid Bar Association since 1977. Head of the Litigation Department of the law firm Melchor de las Heras (Albiñana & Suárez de Lezo), he has also been a partner of the English law firm Allen & Overy, and currently has his own office.
Secretary Non-Director of commercial companies in different sectors and external legal advisor to the Royal Spanish Golf Federation since 2000, Juan Guerrero-Burgos has also advised different individuals, entities and companies, all of them outside the field of golf.
Juan Guerrero-Burgos was appointed Secretary General of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation in 2020, replacing Luis Álvarez de Bohorquez, who passed away by Covid.
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Juan Guerrero-Burgos, at the microphone
. “Gonzaga (Escuariaza), your charismatic personality, the values you always apply in all your actions and your vocation of service make you leave an indelible mark in the world of golf and sport. In the many positions you have held at national and international level, you have proven to be a reference, an example and a mirror in which all of us who have responsibilities in the world of sport can look at. People pass, institutions remain, and in this house, which is and will always be yours, you leave an eternal legacy”.
Although we are growing at an appreciable rate, if at the time we had almost 340,000 members, I would like us to get closer to that figure little by little. And for that we have to do things, we have to promote golf, especially to people outside our environment, who don’t know golf but who will get hooked if they do”.
“The key is to promote, with the collaboration of the Autonomous Federations, the construction of facilities for beginners, such as Pitch & Putt, so that golfers can then move on to the big course.
The harmony and collaboration that exists in the Spanish golf world is commendable and fundamental, envied by many sectors. That is the key to our success: to add, to contribute for the common good. There may be disagreements, but always with respect. Together we are great.
The National Golf Center is everyone’s home and will continue to be so, a meeting place where we will take advantage of the refurbishment to make the most of all its facilities. Rallies, symposiums, presentations, events…, it must be optimized to the maximum, there must be everything in this space so that it can act as a loudspeaker for the activities of Spanish golf as a whole to society as a whole”.
We must focus on the digitalization of the RFEG, on improving its processes. We face the same challenges as any other institution in a matter in which advances are so fast and continuous that almost all of us are caught with our feet changed”.
“I am very proud of what we are doing with the Pro Spain Team, to help in the transition from amateurism to professionalism. It is an initiative that works. However, we have to improve in the women’s field, since women have more difficulties to reach the big professional circuits than men. When they are amateurs, Spanish women are always among the best in the world, but then they fade away”.
“We must continue to bet on the Open de España. For ourselves, and I am referring to Spanish golf as a whole, but also for Jon Rahm. We owe him, he is our standard bearer, he has always given us a lot and we have to thank him in this way.”
“I am sensitive to the issue of inclusion, where golf is an example, and to the issue of women’s presence at all levels. You only have to look at those who are part of the Board of Directors, of a sensational professional level”.
“With regard to society, we must continue to insist on issues of economic impact, water consumption…, to put golf in the place it deserves for its innovation and continuous work. We are doing well, but I have the feeling that sometimes we are hitting a wall”.
“Breaking the clichés acquired some time ago is a Herculean task, but in any case we will not give up trying to achieve it. We are an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable sport”.
“Sportingly speaking, we can always do more, but the level of success we have achieved is hard to beat. If we continue at this level, it would be great. To ensure this, we are going to create a high-level competition management. The golfers are proud to represent Spain and we have to support them as much as we can. We have to work with people who are capable of boosting that spirit.
“We have to rationalize competition calendars and thank all the people who are involved in this very important area within the RFEG.”
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RFEG Presidents
D. Luis de Arana (1934-1936)
D. Francisco Carvajal y Xifre, Count of Fontanar (April 1939-April 1950)
D. Luis de Úrquijo y Landecho, Marqués de Bolarque (April 1950 – April 1959)
D. Luis Mª de Ybarra y Oriol (April 1959 – January 1965)
D. Luis de Úrquijo y Landecho, Marqués de Bolarque (January 1965 – June 1968)
D. Juan Antonio Andreu Bufill (June 1968 – July 1974)
D. Juan Manuel Sainz de Vicuña (July 1974 – April 1981)
D. Juan Castresana Ávila (April 1981 – December 1981)
D. Luis Figueras-Dotti Cabot (December 1981 – November 1988)
Ms. Emma Villacieros Machimbarrena (November 1988 – November 2008)
D. Gonzaga Escauriaza Barreiro (December 2008 – December 2024)
Mr. Juan Guerrero-Burgos Pereiro (December 2024 – )
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