The Real Club de Golf de Sevilla will be the setting for the XXV edition of the Challenge de España, a tournament that has produced some of the best players in the world and has written great golf stories in the past 24 editions.

It was in 1999 when the RFEG made the decision, with the aim of supporting Spanish professionals, to hold a tournament on the Challenge Tour, a circuit where the great stars of golf were formed, as its motto says “where heroes are made…”.

The first edition, which took place on the Valencian course of El Saler, already had a Spanish winner, Carlos Suneson, an inaugural edition that had a completely Spanish podium and where some young people who were starting their careers participated and who are now at the top of the world ranking.

In every edition there have been Spanish players in the Top 10, but there have only been 4 Spanish winners in these past 24 editions: Carlos Suneson in 1999, Álvaro Velasco in 2010, Eduardo de la Riva in 2011 and Santiago Tarrío in 2021.

In 2000, the Challenge de España traveled to Badajoz, to the Golf del Guadiana, where Sweden's Eric Carlberg triumphed, with Carlos Rodiles in second place and Francis Valera in third. In 2001, in Villamartín, Alicante, Great Britain's Euan Little won, with Jesús Arruti in second place.

In 2002, the Challenge Tour traveled to the newly opened Izki Golf in Álava, where Sweden's Fredrik Widmark emerged victorious. It was there that players like Hennie Otto and Nicolas Colsaerts, both with three DP World Tour wins, launched their careers, finishing in the Top 10. The tournament returned to the same venue the following year, with Sweden's Martin Erlandsson taking the win and José Manuel Carriles finishing second.

In 2004, the first play-off of the Challenge de España was held at Torremirona Golf Club in Girona, where the Portuguese Jose-Filipe Lima prevailed against Napoleoni, and where players with numerous victories today in the DP World Tour, such as Pablo Larrazábal, Gregory Bourdy, Julien Quesne or Graeme Storm, fought for their promotion.

After a year without a tournament, it resumed in 2006 in grand style, as it was the first major tournament held at the National Golf Centre, where Frenchman Adrien Mork was victorious, although all eyes were on a very young German who showed promise, Martin Kaymer. 

Golf Layos, in Toledo, hosted the 2007 edition, which saw Chilean Felipe Aguilar take the victory in a playoff against Tobias Dier, with notable performances from Álvaro Salto and Carlos de Corral. Aguilar went on to win two tournaments later on the DP World Tour.

In 2008 the Challenge de España returned to Madrid, to Retamares Golf, where the Scot Andrew McArthur was victorious, with Alfredo García Heredia in the Top 10, as well as Richie Ramsay, winner of 4 DPWT tournaments.

2009 was the first of the eight editions that were played at Tecina Golf, on the Canary Island of La Gomera, where Welshman Rhys Davies won, a victory he would repeat in 2015. In between, in 2010, came the second Spanish victory in the Challenge de España, that of Álvaro Velasco. 

The following year, the victory went to Briton Matthew Baldwin in a playoff, who also won the DPWT, while 2012 saw the third Spanish victory, this time by Eduardo de la Riva. A year later, in 2013, a historic edition saw a young American, Brooks Koepka, triumph, immediately making the leap to the DPWT and establishing himself as one of the best players in the history of world golf. 

In 2014, German Moritz Lampert won, with Claverie in third place, while in 2015 Davies took another victory, with Sarasti finishing third. The last edition held at Tecina Golf, in 2016, was won by Frenchman Adrien Saddier.

In 2017 the Challenge de España returned to Iki Golf to witness the birth of another great, the Frenchman Victor Perez, leaving Hoey, now multiple winners in the DPWT, just short of victory.

The Alava course hosted the next two editions, with victory going to Swede Oscar Lengden in 2018, leaving Ross McGowan wanting, who would later win in the DPWT, and where Santiago Tarrío stood out in the Top 10. In 2019 it was Frenchman Antoine Rozner who, after this victory as usual in the Challenge de España, made the leap to the DPWT and won the next three years.

In 2020, and for the third consecutive year, the Challenge de España was held at the Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri. In 2020, Ondrej Leiser, the first Czech player to win on the Challenge Tour, made history. In 2021, Santiago Tarrío took the title, securing his second victory in just three weeks and earning a spot on the DPWT. The 2022 tournament saw Swedish golfer Jens Dantorp emerge victorious, with Víctor Pastor finishing second.

The latest edition of the Challenge de España traveled to Almería, to Playa Serena, to experience the first victory of an amateur in this tournament, that of the Frenchman Martin Couvra, the youngest winner in the history of the Challenge Tour, who prevailed in a play-off against veterans such as Andrea Pavan, winner of the DPWT and Dermot McElroy.

In summary, 24 editions of great stories in which the Challenge de España has witnessed some of the greatest feats in golf.

DATA FROM THE SPANISH CHALLENGE

Editions contested: 24

Provinces visited: 10 (Valencia, Badajoz, Alicante, Álava, Girona, Madrid, Toledo, La Gomera, Cádiz, Almería)

Nationality of winners: France (5), Sweden (5), Spain (4), Scotland (4), Czech Republic (1), Germany (1), United States (1), England (1), Chile (1), Portugal (1).

Course where it has been played the most times: Tecina Golf, 8 years

Largest margin of victory: 2013, Brooks Koepka, 10 strokes

Play offs: 2004, 2007, 2011, 2023

Oldest winner: Felipe Aguilar and Jens Dantorp, 33 years old.

Youngest winner: Martin Couvra, 20 years old.

The Challenge de España will be held at the Real Club Sevilla Golf from May 8th to 12th and promises to be a great week of golf in Andalusia, thanks to the sponsorship of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and the support of the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, and the Spanish National Sports Council, as well as AON, Allianz, Iberdrola, Volvo, Mahou-Solán de Cabras, Tag Heuer, BCD Sports, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (Spanish National Lottery), Kyocera, and Scalpers. JGolf is the organizing company of the Challenge de España.

SOURCE: Tournament Organization