PORTUGAL-SPAIN PITCH & PUTT MATCH 2024

Check the list of winners below, in Related Content.

This weekend, November 30th and December 1st, the thirteenth edition of the Pitch & Putt match between the Spanish and Portuguese teams will take place at Quinta de Lágrimas, the course that hosted the first edition, in Coimbra. The Spanish team is looking to extend its dominance with what would be its tenth victory.

This edition of the match, one of the most established international Pitch & Putt competitions, presents itself as a magnificent opportunity to avenge the defeat suffered last year in Quinto Coto (Badajoz).

The Spanish team faces the challenge in Portuguese lands with a sextet made up of the Canary Islanders César Fernández de Caleya, Noel Calzadilla, Bernabé González and César Crespo, the Valladolid native José María Ortiz de Pinedo and the Madrid native Rafael Santonja, with Juan Manuel Matilla in the role of captain.

To highlight the team's achievements, it's worth noting that this year's National Ranking tournaments have been shared between César Fernández de Caleya (2), José María Ortiz de Pinedo, and Noel Calzadilla, while Rafael Santonja has achieved Top 10 finishes in the International tournaments in Italy and Portugal. In short, we're talking about the top six players in the National Ranking.

As in previous editions, the International Match will be played over three rounds, the first two (fourball and foursome) on Saturday and the third (singles) on Sunday. The team that reaches 6.5 points will win, and in case of a tie, a playoff will be held.

Spain clearly dominates the list of winners

This Match has been held since 2007 – making it one of the oldest duels in continental Pitch & Putt – with the exception of the years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2021. To date, the record reflects a clear Spanish dominance: nine victories to three for Portugal.

The history of the match began with a Spanish victory (5.5-6.5) precisely at Quinta de Lágrimas, where Spain achieved its second international success six months after defeating France. Since then, Spanish dominance has been clear, with three more consecutive victories in 2008, 2009, and 2010, although the scores were mostly close.

The match returned to the calendar in 2014 with a 7-5 Portuguese victory, but a year later Spain regained its dominance on the Quinto Coto Golf course itself. In 2016, again at Quinta de Lagrimas, Portugal secured its second victory, winning a playoff after overcoming the lead Spain had built up in the first round.
In 2017, the Spanish team secured a resounding 9-3 victory at the Juan Antonio Samaranch Sports City in Madrid, a success they repeated in 2019 (5-7), this time on the Portuguese courses of Quinta do Fojo and Citygolf. In March 2020, Spain triumphed again at El Campanario Golf (Málaga) by 9-3; in 2022, after a two-year hiatus due to health reasons, the match returned with a Spanish victory (8-4) at Amendoeria Golf (Portugal); and last year, Portugal surprised Spain at Quinto Coto, winning 7-5.