. In 2011, coinciding with the celebration of the Spanish Open at the RCG El Prat, Severiano Ballesteros, the best Spanish golfer of all time, passed away as a result of a brain tumor.

. In 2016, Sergio García, Azahara Muñoz, Rafael Cabrera, and Carlota Ciganda had the privilege of being the first Spanish players to compete in the Olympic Games, those of Rio de Janeiro, the year of the 125th anniversary of the inauguration of the RCG Las Palmas.

Milestones are defined as specific yet significant events that mark an important moment in the development of a process or in a person's life. The broader and richer the history, the greater the number of milestones it contains, reinforcing a sense of glory that, in the case of sports in general and golf in particular, becomes increasingly appealing.

The founding of Las Palmas Golf Club in Gran Canaria in 1891, the first golf club inaugurated in our country; the oldest tournaments in Spain; the creation of the Federation of Golf Clubs of Spain in 1932, the current Royal Spanish Golf Federation; the first master's license given to a woman, Elvira Larrazábal; Costa de Azahar, the first public course; the World Cup, a major sporting event in Madrid… were some of the milestones reflected in previous issues of this publication.

Following that thread, the following are some of the most representative milestones in the long and prolific history of golf in Spain. Of course, there are many more that could certainly be included in this report, compiled for posterity, but all of them reflect the vibrancy of a sport that has always strived to grow.

Having highlighted the successes of Severiano Ballesteros and José María Olazábal in the 1980s and 1990s in the previous issue, we now arrive at the fourth chapter of the great milestones in our golf history, beginning with the triumph of the Spanish golfers—a clean sweep, four gold medals out of as many possible—at the Mediterranean Games in Almería. The year was 2005…

2005 – Spain achieves a clean sweep at the Mediterranean Games in Almería

Golf contributed four gold medals to Spain's tally at the Mediterranean Games held in Almería. The performance of Ignacio Sánchez Palencia, María Hernández, and the two teams competing in the men's (José Luis Adarraga and Jordi García del Moral) and women's (Belén Mozo and Adriana Zwanck) categories faced little resistance from their rivals, achieving a spectacular clean sweep of the podium.

2006 – Inauguration of the National Golf Centre

King Juan Carlos I officially inaugurated this public golf course, located on reclaimed land that had previously been a landfill, and which also houses the headquarters of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation. Years later, the Golf Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art facility for the development of elite professional and amateur golfers, would be inaugurated on the same site.

2007 – Severiano Ballesteros announces his retirement in the year of the RFEG's 75th anniversary

The legendary golfer from Cantabria retired from active play in 2007, leaving behind an impressive sporting record and having played a decisive role in the growth of the European Tour and in the hosting of the Ryder Cup at Valderrama in 1997. That same year, 2007, coincided with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), a well-established organization capable of leading the way in addressing the challenges related to the constant evolution of Spanish society as a whole. Also in 2007, the RFEG created the Adapted Golf Committee with the aim of making the sport accessible to people with disabilities.

2008 – Gonzaga Escauriaza becomes President of the RFEG

After 20 years at the head of this federative body, Emma Villacieros handed over the Presidency to Gonzaga Escauriaza with the aim of offering the best possible service to members, clubs, Autonomous Federations and other groups in Spanish golf.

2009 – Olympic Golf and José María Olazábal inducted into the Hall of Fame

The International Olympic Committee has approved golf's return to the Olympic Program, which had been absent since 1904 and will be effective from Rio de Janeiro 2016. This year, José María Olazábal was also inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame for his more than ample merit.

2010 – The RFEG is committed to professionals

The Pro Spain Program was launched with the aim of facilitating the transition of young talents from the amateur to the professional ranks. Azahara Muñoz, Jorge Campillo, and Pedro Oriol were part of the first cohort of this undeniably successful project, which has continued to grow over the years. Furthermore, in 2010, the Golf in Schools Program was launched in Navarre, the seed of a significant promotional initiative that has reached 60,000 students.

2011 – Farewell to Severiano Ballesteros, the great champion

Coinciding with the Spanish Open at the RCG El Prat, Severiano Ballesteros, the greatest Spanish golfer of all time and an icon of the sport both at home and abroad, passed away from a brain tumor. The countless heartfelt expressions of condolence from around the world once again demonstrated the greatness of Severiano Ballesteros.

2012 – One hundred years since the first edition of the Spanish Open and the 'Miracle of Medinah'‘

Italian Francesco Molinari won the Spanish Open Centenary in a year where the European team, with José María Olazábal as captain, staged the so-called 'Miracle of Medinah' to win the Ryder Cup.

2013 – The Center of Excellence, a step towards the success of our 'pros'‘

A state-of-the-art facility, the first of its kind in Europe, has been inaugurated to enhance the chances of producing top-level professional golfers. This same year, José María Olazábal receives the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports in recognition of his outstanding career.

2014 – The world begins to know Jon Rahm

The Basque golfer led Spain to its third medal at the World Amateur Championship and brought home the overall victory from Japan. That same year, the second branch of the Blume National Golf School opened in León.

2015 – The world's number one amateur is Spanish

And his name is Jon Rahm. The Basque player finished 2015 by receiving the Mark H. McCormack Medal, which recognized him as the leader of the World Amateur Ranking, an achievement previously attained only by one other European player, the Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick (2013).

2016 – We're back in the Olympics! And 125 years of golf in Spain

Sergio García, Azahara Muñoz, Rafael Cabrera, and Carlota Ciganda had the privilege of being the first Spanish players to compete in the Olympic Games, those of Rio de Janeiro. 112 years later, golf returned to the Olympics. And all this in the year that the sport of golf in Spain celebrated its 125th anniversary, a significant milestone commemorating the inauguration, back in 1891, of what was then called the Las Palmas Golf Club, now the Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas.

2017 – Sergio Garcia, the third Spanish winner at Augusta

In the early hours of April 11th, Sergio García became the third Spanish winner of the Masters Tournament at Augusta. The genius from Borriol donned the green jacket after a simply marvelous performance. A well-deserved first major. 2017 is also the year in which the slogan 'Golf is Health' gains traction. With this campaign, the RFEG (Royal Spanish Golf Federation), supported by medical studies, promotes the benefits of golf as a tool for extending people's active lives and combating sedentary lifestyles.

2018 – The year we started to miss Celia

2018 was a particularly productive year in sports, with one event standing out above all others: Jon Rahm's victory at the Spanish Open at the National Golf Center in Madrid, before a massive and enthusiastic crowd. However, everything was overshadowed by the incomprehensible and vile murder in the United States of Celia Barquín, a golfer from Cantabria who had trained at the Blume National School and who, just a few months earlier, had won the European Individual Championship. September 19th was the day we began to miss her.