Cadiz native Mario Galiano has triumphed at the V Bizkaia PGAe Open at fourteen under par, finishing three shots ahead of Álvaro Morales and Marc Sabriá in an event counting towards the III Tumi Golf Tour and promoted by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and the PGAe.
The Cadiz-born golfer Mario Galiano has once again written his name into the roll of honour of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open by retaining the title he won last year at the public Meaztegi course, in La Arboleda (Bizkaia), confirming the excellent form he is enjoying on the northern layouts.
The Andalusian, who signed for a closing round of 69 (-3) this Sunday, was the most consistent competitor across the three days, putting together a final fourteen under par that translated directly into victory and into a firm statement of intent for the rest of the season.
The V Bizkaia PGAe Open is promoted by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, owner of the public Meaztegi course, and by the Spanish Professional Golfers’ Association (PGAe), long-standing partners behind a tournament that becomes more firmly established on the Spanish professional calendar with every edition.
The Andalusian golfer began the decisive round fully aware of his chances of repeating success and posted four birdies in the first nine holes, decisively extending the narrow lead he had carried over from the previous two days of this V Bizkaia PGAe Open.
With a six-shot cushion over his pursuers and five holes still to play, Galiano felt that victory was within reach and, perhaps for that very reason, his game lost some of its edge: three almost consecutive bogeys between holes 12 and 17 opened a small crack that allowed his rivals to close the gap over the final holes of the Bizkaia PGAe Open.
He had the progress of his two playing partners (Marc Sabriá and Juan Salama) under control, and the three-shot lead over the Catalan ahead of the 18th gave him peace of mind. However, charging hard from behind was Avila native Álvaro Morales, who in the closing stretch of the Bizkaia PGAe Open linked an eagle and two birdies that added real spice to the final stretch of the tournament.
Galiano’s final putt for par on the 18th was not celebrated as an outright triumph, since Morales still had two holes to complete. In the end, Álvaro Morales signed for two consecutive pars and had to settle for second place, while Mario Galiano celebrated his victory at the Bizkaia PGAe Open in the Meaztegi clubhouse.
The Cadiz native has not only retained the title he won last year at Meaztegi, but he also lands his second victory in the four events held so far on the III Tumi Golf Tour, organised by the PGAe, after the one he claimed in the doubles championship alongside Asier Aguirre at Izki (Álava).
The standings of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open were headed by Mario Galiano (-14), followed by Álvaro Morales and Marc Sabriá (-11), and by a group of three players tied at -9: Juan Salama, Agustí Quinquilla and Gonzalo Leal.
The first Basque representatives at the V Bizkaia PGAe Open were Gonzalo Escauriaza and Borja Martín, both at five under par and tied for sixteenth place. Joseba Torres, nephew of José María Olazábal, completed the three rounds at four under par, while Olazábal himself closed his appearance at one under par.
The trophy for the leading amateur of the tournament went to the young Bizkaia native Javier Domingo, who signed for -1 and had the privilege of sharing a group with José María Olazábal and Álvaro Quirós. Another player from Bizkaia, Javier Sáinz, completed his appearance at two under par.
The junior pro-am of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open, also held this Sunday in collaboration with the Jon Rahm 4 Kids foundation, brought together 20 teams from 17 junior golf schools across the Basque Country, Cantabria and Castilla y León and, as a new feature for this edition, boys and girls from two French schools also took part. Victory went to the team from the Irelore club of Oñati (Gipuzkoa).
Several hundred fans braved the stifling heat —with temperatures close to forty degrees Celsius at some points during the day— to witness the closing round of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open, regarded as the “major” of the PGAe circuit and one of the great fixtures of the Spanish golfing summer.
Mario Galiano’s comments, winner of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open
“I’ve felt really good all week, I’ve played really well and I couldn’t ask for more. For today I had set myself the goal of playing my own golf, taking my focus off the leaderboard a bit, and once I started playing well and saw on hole 13 or 14 that I had a six-shot lead, that hurt me a little because I played to protect the result and a couple of strange bogeys came along. I was guilty of trying to play safe, especially on 14, but the main thing was to secure the goal.”
“In recent tournaments I haven’t been at my best and I came here with the goal of focusing on my own game, enjoying it, playing every hole with full concentration, and I managed to do that.”
“Here I feel at home, I really like this course, especially the atmosphere, the excellent organisation and the course itself, which is in superb condition. It already makes me want to come back here next year. I now have three txapelas, the two from Meaztegi and the one from Izki this year. I’m going to end up turning Basque.”
“The organisation at Meaztegi is incredible, a great job is done. It’s in a perfect location. Bilbao is a great city and Bizkaia is a great place to come in the summer. I think it has it all.”
The tournament is promoted by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, Meaztegi Golf and the PGA of Spain. Main sponsors: Inelco, Fermax, Game Telecomunicaciones, Grescrap, Federación Vasca de Golf, Federación Vizcaína de Golf, Aelvasa, El Correo, Tele Bilbao, Pangea, Chef Lali and the main sponsor of the PGA Circuit, TUMI. Other sponsors: Urbelan, Alkizabal, Gaimaz, Intxausti, Ruyma, Sustraiak and Bycam. Partners: Boxify, Wilson, Bacalao Eguino, Titleist, Piérola, Eye Swing-BRK, Macallan, AFE and 9NIN9R. Foundations: DalecandELA and Jon Rahm 4 Kids. You can follow the latest news from the professional circuit in our news section.
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