Anna Cañadó, a player for the National Teams and one of the European Under 18 Team Champions, faces this week the defense of the title in the Spanish International Women's Stroke Play, the first qualifying event for the World Ranking and for the Absolute and Under 18 Women's National Rankings 2024, which is held at the La Faisanera Golf course (Palazuelos de Eresma, Segovia).

The tournament, which runs from October 27th to 29th, features seventy-eight golfers, half of whom are Spanish. One of them is Anna Cañadó (exact handicap -5.7), a key player on the team that won the continental title in France, along with two other golfers who are also competing at La Faisanera: Cloe Amión from Valencia (-5.9) and Alba González from Pontevedra (-5.9).

These are three of the main assets for achieving Spain's third consecutive victory. This objective is also shared by Claudia Lara (-4.5), Lucía Valderrama (-4.2), Sara Moreno (-3.3), Noa Terroba (-3), and three players in the cadet or junior age groups: Adriana García Terol (-3), winner of the England Under-16 International; Nagore Martínez (-2.8), current Spanish Under-16 champion; and Martina Navarro (-2.2), winner of the National Junior Women's Ranking Tournament.

This competition is an excellent test to gauge the form of Spanish players in the final stretch of the season. And to date, this test has always yielded positive results. In 2019, the tournament dates were changed from May to October/November, which has led to a more significant increase in international participation at all levels.

The tournament is played over three consecutive days, with 18 holes per day. The final 18 holes will be contested only by the golfers who make the cut after the second round, which is set at 50th place.

Seven Spanish victories in ten editions

It is worth remembering that this tournament replaced in 2012 – in which edition the aforementioned Harang Lee prevailed – the classic I National Women's Ranking Tournament that was traditionally held in the first days of January.

In the 2013 edition, Luna Sobrón triumphed at the Las Colinas & Country Club course in Alicante, finishing one stroke ahead of Natalia Escuriola. In 2014, Nuria Iturrioz won, overtaking Ana Peláez, who led at the start of the final round, on the closing holes.

The following two years were dominated by foreign golfers. In 2015, the Swiss player Albane Valenzuela won decisively at Torre Mirona, leaving Elena Hualde in fourth place, and in 2016, the French player Pauline Roussin-Brouchard won at Costa Dorada, with the golfer from Navarre finishing in a commendable third place.

Since then, local dominance has been almost total, only interrupted by the triumph of the Russian Nataliya Guseva in 2019; Elena Arias (2017), Blanca Fernández (2018), Paula Martín (2021) and Anna Cañadó (2022) have been in charge of keeping the title at home.

See the list of participants and other information below, in the Related Links section.

Additional information and entry list below, in Related Links.