Nearly one hundred professionals will meet next week in Murcia to compete in their most cherished tournament, the XXXVII PGA Championship of Spain, which will be held from September 14 to 16 at the New Sierra Golf course in Murcia. 

A tournament that originated in 1985 at the RACE in Madrid, it offered 6 million pesetas in prizes (approximately €36,000) and whose winner had their name engraved on the Challenge Cup donated by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation. The tournament's patron was none other than the Count of Barcelona, Juan de Borbón, who performed the ceremonial first tee shot.

More than 40 years later, with some interruptions along the way, the most endearing tournament on the PGA national calendar returns to New Sierra Golf (Murcia) for the second year in a row. 

A championship whose Cup is engraved with the names of some heroes of past Ryder Cups such as Seve Ballesteros, José Rivero, José María Cañizares, Antonio Garrido, Miguel Ángel Martín, Ignacio Garrido… And whose tradition has reached great players of today such as Emilio Cuartero, defending the title; Santi Luna, Javier Colomo, Gabriel Cañizares (eldest son of José María, the first winner, and whose surname is represented this week by his son Alejandro).

Some of the most recent winners will be looking to repeat their triumphs, including Manuel Ballesteros (nephew of the legendary Seve Ballesteros), Juan Salama, David Salgado, and Carlos Balmaseda. Among the regular winners on the PGA Tour will be Mario Galiano, a double winner this year at the Izki Doubles Championship and the V Bizkaia PGA Open; Jordan Gibb; David Borda; Alex Esmatges; and Alfonso Buendía, a member of the PGA of Spain Players Committee and representative of one of the championship's sponsors, who described New Sierra Golf as a true "top-level competitive test.".

Buendía explained that the course will demand a very complete game from the professionals, with the wind playing a particularly important role, fast and protected greens, and a more developed rough that will further increase the sporting demands of the course.

Ander Martínez, president of the PGA of Spain: “Last year’s tournament was a great success on all levels. Therefore, returning to a venue like New Sierra Golf is a source of pride for us: it’s a fantastic course, the preparation is exceptional, and the dedication and involvement of all the staff, management, institutions, etc., is outstanding. We must express our gratitude for all these efforts, as well as for the support of the professionals and all the amateurs who attended the Pro-Am last year and who were delighted with the course, the magnificent conditions, and the hospitality they received.”.

Andrea Pascual, Marketing and Communications Director at New Sierra Golf, comments: “The entire team is incredibly excited to welcome back the professionals to New Sierra Golf. Last year, the course was a very pleasant surprise, and the feedback we received from the players was extremely gratifying, but it also raised the bar. Since then, we have worked with a very clear objective: not to be content with simply repeating our success, but to try to take it a step further.”. 

The course has been prepared all year with this event in mind, and with just a few days until it starts, we are very excited for the players to arrive, enjoy the course, and find a course ready to challenge them to their best golf. We are proud to once again be part of a championship with such a rich history and prestige as the PGA Championship of Spain.”.

Everything is ready in Murcia

The activity will begin on Saturday, September 12th with the official training day, continue on Sunday the 13th with the celebration of the Pro-Am for sponsors and will give way to the official competition on the 14th, 15th and 16th of September, the date on which the new Champion of the PGA Spain will be proclaimed

With this second consecutive edition, New Sierra Golf and the PGA of Spain reinforce a project that aspires to consolidate itself as one of the great events on the national calendar, boosting both the development of professional golf and the sporting, tourist and economic projection of the Region of Murcia.

SOURCE: PGA of Spain