The Spanish Under-16 and Under-10 Pitch & Putt Championship, one of the premier short game events, has changed dates but maintains its spectacular nature and the enthusiasm of its many participants. Traditionally held in mid-August, it will take place this year from July 13-15 at the BilBil Golf course in Malaga, a venue with experience hosting this exciting tournament.

Eighty-one golfers under the age of 16 in total, spread across the different age groups, face the challenge of achieving the best possible result in a competition that begins with the youngest (under 10 years old) on July 13 and 14 and continues, on July 14 and 15, with the cadets, children and juniors, all vying for the titles in the different categories.

This is the twelfth edition of a tournament that celebrates a golf specialty that is booming in our country and that brings together players from the youngest age groups (under 10 years old), juniors (11 and 12 years old), children (13 and 14 years old) and cadets (15 and 16 years old).

In many cases, golfers have registered who, despite their young age, have already developed an interesting sporting career and are destined to make important progress within Spanish golf.

More equal power than ever before

As with other tournaments involving the youngest group in the Spanish golf academy, establishing benchmarks in this Spanish Under 16 and Benjamin Pitch & Putt Championship is a complicated exercise, although, considering the playing handicaps and recent past performances, it is possible to establish some mentions that, once on the course, they have to confirm with their play.

Unlike other years, none of the participants come with a Spanish Pitch & Putt Championship title in these categories, although several have accumulated second and third places that this time can be promoted to something even more important and lift the champion's trophy.

Among the cadets, all eyes are on Yago Izquierdo from Barcelona, who has the best playing handicap of the twelve participants in his category and who helped Catalonia win the Spanish Armed Forces Junior Championship title in 2021. Alejandro Fernández from Andalusia and Fernando Agrelo from Galicia stand out as his theoretically toughest rivals.

In the girls' cadet group, unfortunately, the commemorative trophy will not be awarded to the champion since only four players registered, two fewer than required to hold an official competition. This is a shame, as all four participants possess great talent. This is the case with María Carlón from Castile and León, a three-time runner-up in the Spanish Pitch & Putt Championship, twice in the Benjamin category (2017 and 2018) and once in the Alevín category (2019).

Her competitors have very similar playing handicaps, so the uncertainty about who will finish first is extremely high, although, as mentioned earlier, there is no official competition specifically for this age group. Laura Gorgees from Zaragoza was the runner-up in the Spanish Junior Pitch & Putt Championship in 2022, while Julia Gil from Cádiz contributed to the runner-up finish in the Spanish Junior Interclub Championship in 2021, with Cristina Carrasco from Castellón waiting in the wings.

Among the juniors, there's a curious situation: Samuel Love, an Irishman living in Spain, is the overwhelming favorite to take first place, especially considering he finished first in both the 2019 Spanish Junior Pitch & Putt Championships, but was denied the title due to his foreign status. To make matters worse, just a few weeks ago, he faced the same fate in the Spanish Junior Championship, finishing with a score of 6 under par. Given these circumstances, Francisco Javier Gómez from Malaga, based on his playing handicap, is the favorite to win the Spanish Championship.

Meanwhile, in the Girls' Junior category, a good duel is expected between Chanya Huaysan from Malaga and Blanca Gómez-Balboa from Madrid, who in 2019 came in third in the Spanish Benjamin Pitch & Putt Championship.

There are fewer previous references in the Male Under-12 category, where the presence of Rubén Sánchez from Alicante stands out, with the best playing handicap in this group, although he is closely followed by Jan Bernet from Barcelona and Daniel Peña from Madrid.

Among the younger players, two stand out due to their handicap: Elena Isorna from Galicia and Lucía Gómez from Malaga, the latter with the experience of being the runner-up in the Spanish Benjamin category in 2022.

Great excitement is expected in the Benjamin Male category, with a theoretically open fight for the title between Juan Antonio Macías from Malaga, Carlos Ceballos from Madrid and Enzo Zaplana from Murcia, taking into account that the first and second have in their sporting record the runner-up position in the Spanish Benjamin 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Finally, the same situation applies to the youngest age group as to the cadets: only four players have registered, and therefore no champion's trophy will be awarded. Inés Gómez-Balboa from Madrid has the best handicap in the fight to secure the symbolic first place in this age group.

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