ANDALUSIAN ALPS – ROQUETAS DE MAR 2026

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The Playa Serena Golf Club demonstrated its demanding nature on the opening day of the Alps de Andalucía-Roquetas de Mar tournament. The strong wind that blew throughout the day became the main protagonist and the course's greatest ally, testing the 144 players in the field. The challenging conditions were reflected in the results: only 12 golfers managed to complete the 18 holes under par.

The player who best interpreted the challenge was England's Mason Essam, the sole leader after posting an extraordinary 66 (-4). On a day marked by patience and error management, Essam built his round with five birdies and a single bogey, committed on the 8th hole. From then on, the Englishman showed absolute control of his game and finished his round with three birdies on holes 12, 15 and 18 to take the lead in the standings.

Two strokes behind the leader is a quartet made up of two Spaniards and two Frenchmen. Alejandro Rodríguez, Dani Berna, Theo Boulet, and Damien Perrier share second place with 68 strokes (-2) after completing solid rounds on a day where patience proved as important as making birdies.

Rodríguez had a brilliant start to the day with three birdies in five holes. The Alicante native maintained control of his round for much of the day and only dropped one stroke on the 13th hole, his only bogey of the day.

“It’s been a tough day, with a lot of wind and some pretty demanding pin positions. I haven’t felt particularly comfortable with my game, but I’ve managed to fight hard. Tomorrow, the idea is to keep doing the same: keep the ball low, try to minimize the wind’s impact, and take advantage of any opportunities that arise,” he explained after handing in his scorecard.

Dani Berna also delivered an outstanding performance. The golfer from Soria finished three under par through the front nine thanks to a birdie on the 2nd hole and a spectacular eagle on the par-5 7th. His only stumble came on the 15th, allowing him to close out a round of 68 strokes and confirm the positive form he has shown throughout the season.

“It was a really tough day because of the wind. The greens were a bit slow, which made it difficult to play. I hit my irons really well, and in the end, the key was making a lot of pars. It was a very solid round from tee to green, and I’m happy because I think the conditions will remain similar for the next few days,” Berna commented.

The player from Castile and León also highlighted the importance of staying close to the top positions in a field where anything can happen.

“On a course like this, and with the wind we're having, you have to keep fighting until the last hole on Saturday. Being two, three, or even four strokes behind the leader still leaves you with options because Playa Serena offers many alternatives and punishes any mistake.”.

Three strokes behind the leader, with rounds of 69 strokes (-1), is a large group of seven players including four other Spaniards: Eduard Rousaud, Alfonso Buendía, Rubén Lafuente and Alejandro Aguilera, who keep their chances intact for the two remaining rounds.

Weather forecasts indicate that the wind will once again play a decisive role during the second day, so Playa Serena will continue to demand maximum concentration from the players in their fight to make the cut, the top 40 and ties, and move closer to the top spots.

The Alps de Andalucía – Roquetas de Mar is made possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, the Roquetas de Mar City Council, the Andalusian Regional Government, the Higher Sports Council, Kyocera, Bodegas Juan Gil and the Alps Tour, organized by JGolf.

SOURCE: Tournament Organization