The prestigious Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande Cup, European Nations Championship, brings together once again the main continental powers, both male and female, in the Cadiz course. Spain has two teams of guarantees with the intention of winning again, as they did the girls last year and boys in 2022.
The competition, which returned to the calendar precisely in 2022 after two editions of absence, is played from Wednesday 17 to Saturday April 20 and has twenty-one teams in the men’s event and ten in the women. Both are played simultaneously in Sotogrande.
The Spanish women’s team, remember, defending the title, is composed of the Tarragona Anna Cañadó, the Castellon Balma Davalos and Alba Gonzalez Pontevedra, with Adriana Zwanck and Covadonga Basagoiti in the captaincy. The technical tasks, both in the men’s and women’s teams, fall to Salva Luna.
It should be noted that Anna Cañadó is the only survivor of last year’s triumph, in which she was accompanied by Rocío Tejedo and Andrea Revuelta, and that Balma Dávalos and Alba González already contributed a few weeks ago to the Spanish victory in the Women’s International Match in Costa Ballena.
For its part, the men’s team goes with a quartet captained by Santiago Urquijo and Pablo Fisas in the tasks of Officer, and composed of Luis Masaveu and Alvaro Pastor from Madrid, the Asturian Pablo Alperi and the Canary Jose Antonio Sintes. The also from Madrid Jorge Hao will compete only at individual level.
Luis Masaveu already knows what it is to win this Sotogrande Cup; he did it in 2022. Now he has the opportunity to repeat accompanied by three high level players. Suffice it to mention that José Antonio Sintes comes from becoming the new champion of Spain Under 18 and that in these first months of 2024 he has conquered his first title in a professional circuit, in the Alps Tour.
It is worth remembering that the competition returned in 2017 to the RCG Sotogrande after a few editions in the neighboring course of La Reserva de Sotogrande. In that period the prestigious club of San Roque (Cádiz) undertook a complete restoration works that resulted in a spectacular course, with greens that returned to their original size, 100% bermuda fairways, new black tees…
.
Very positive history of Spain in the RCG Sotogrande Cup
Starting with the women’s side of the competition, the aim of the host team is to maintain the good results achieved in numerous editions, with special mention for the eight titles won by Spain (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2022).
In the men’s event, Spain achieved two consecutive triumphs, in 2005 and 2006, and the aforementioned in 2022, apart from the fact that on numerous occasions it has been very close to reaching first place, highlighting the high level of competition established in a tournament of the highest continental level.
.
Four days of high tension
According to the rules, each participating country presents a men’s team composed of 4 players and a women’s team composed of 3 players, whose daily results -the three best in the case of the boys; the two best in the case of the girls- are computed to establish the classification. The competition is held under the “stroke play” modality throughout the four days of the event. The individual competition is held at the same time.
The Sotogrande Cup, European Championship of Nations, had its origin in the International Week of competition organized by the Club in its early years. In 1970, the Consejo Regulador de vinos de Jerez became a sponsor of the tournament, which was renamed the Copa Jerez and gained increasing prestige in the international amateur calendar. From 1998, the championship was also held by teams as the European Championship of Nations, a format that is maintained today.
Since 2007 the Real Club de Golf Sotogrande gives its name to the tournament that has become an unmissable event for the best amateur players from all over Europe. It is currently considered the fifth in importance behind the British Amateur, the European Individual and Team Championship and the Copa del Rey de España.
The tournament’s list of winners includes players such as Sergio Garcia, Rory Mcllroy, Padraig Harrington, Francesco Molinari, Shane Lowry and Catherine Lacoste. Jon Rahm is another renowned player who has participated in the tournament.
.
Words of champion
Sergio, winner in the 1997 and 1998 editions: “I have played many times in Sotogrande since I was a child, I remember some Spanish Championship and some match before the Sotogrande Cup. We loved to go there, it is a very nice layout and a master course.”
McIlroy, winner in 1997: “The Sotogrande Cup was a great achievement for me. It made me believe that I was capable of beating the best and therefore fulfilling my dream of becoming a professional player.”
Leave a Reply