2025 European Women's Senior Team Championship (Pula Golf, September 2-6)

Results, image gallery and additional information below, in the Related Content section

Spain has made a strong start to the European Ladies Senior Team Championship being held at Pula Golf in Mallorca. Currently in second place, the Spanish team is firmly on track to achieve its first objective: to finish among the top eight at the end of the second round and advance to the quarterfinals, which will be out of reach for those who fail to meet this initial hurdle.

Germany edged out Spain by a single stroke, having been at the top of the standings from the outset. The team, captained by Rocío Ruiz de Velasco, divided their performance, like everyone else, into two parts: three players in the morning to take the lead, and another three to seal the deal in the afternoon.

In the first group, Soledad Fernández de Araoz shone with unusual strength, author of a magnificent round of 71 strokes that distinguished her, along with the Dutch Catryn Geleijnse, as the third best of the first day, only surpassed by the Irish Laura Webb and the German Alexandra Kolker, both with 70, the members of the quartet the only ones capable of going below par on the course.

Soledad Fernández de Araoz, always smiling, a torrent of energy that she transmits to the outside, took control of the course based on persistent regularity, all pars in the first 9 holes and six more in the second, area of the course where she managed to record two birdies minimized by a single bogey on her card.

That outstanding result catapulted the Spanish team into the lead, especially because, on that morning, they found valuable support from Macarena Campomanes, an all-around player who skillfully resolved a situation that was becoming desperate: 4 over par after the first 6 holes.

From then on, gritting her teeth and not giving up was the motto of the Madrid player, who finished with 76 strokes, with more value than it seems at first glance, all while the debutante Amelia Alonso - who by the way made the opening shot of the tournament - finished in the clubhouse with 79, a record that included a spectacular eagle on the 12th hole.

Having passed the halfway point of the round, Spain was comfortably positioned at the top of the standings alongside the Netherlands, who at that moment were struggling in the afternoon, slipping to seventh place, a lapse that Germany took advantage of to move to the front of the pack, which constitutes a warning of their potential in the near future.

And then came the afternoon, where the Spanish spotlight fell on Natalia Martínez-Reboredo, María Castillo, and María de Orueta. With very similar, if not identical, scores of 77, 76, and 77, respectively, they all discovered that the final stretch of the course, from the 15th hole onward, will create very challenging situations in the match play phase, when the head-to-head battles between players will raise the excitement and spectacle to their peak. Indeed, on this first day, that area of Pula Golf proved difficult for many teams, a challenge that, for those who master it, offers a strong chance of winning.

Spain, reaching the podium thirteen times

The Spanish team has won this competition twice. The first time was in 1996, the year the Spanish women secured their first victory with Marta Balet, Isabel Lorenzana, Vicky Pertierra, Emma Villacieros, Josefina González Allende, and Asunción Azpilicueta.

The Spanish team has also won this competition on two other occasions, these much closer in time, in the 2021 edition thanks to the joint contribution of Macarena Campomanes, Soledad Fernández de Araoz, Xonia Wünsch, María de Orueta, María Castillo and Natalia Martínez-Reboredo, with the captaincy of Rocío Ruiz de Velasco.

They all repeated their triumph in 2023, with Mónica Jessen replacing Xonia Wünsch.

Furthermore, Spain has finished second five times (1991, 1999, 2008, 2011 and 2019) and third on another five occasions (1989, 1994, 2004, 2006 and 2018). Thirteen times on the podium so far.

France, with six wins (2006, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2024), Germany (2009, 2018 and 2022), England (2014 and 2019), Ireland (2013 and 2016), Italy (2012), Scotland (2010) and Sweden (2008) complete the overall list of winners of this tournament since the European Golf Federation took over its organization directly in 2006.

Competition system

The competition is divided into two phases: a first Stroke Play, in which you have to qualify among the top eight to access the match bracket with a chance of winning, and a second Match Play in which you have to overcome three rounds of eliminations to obtain the coveted title.