SPANISH MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP – 108th PUERTA DE HIERRO CUP 2026

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The Spanish Match Play Championship – 108th Puerta de Hierro Cup 2026, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the national men's calendar, has completed its first phase, corresponding to the Stroke Play competition, with Samuel Love occupying first place in the ranking.

The Andalusian player has signed a great card of 67 strokes (-5) in this second day, with six birdies and only one bogey, which has given him a total of 138 (-6), two less than Javier Calvo, who has come in second thanks to two rounds of 70 (-2) and an accumulated total of 140 (-4).

The podium of this first round of the Puerta de Hierro Cup was shared by Jorge Sánchez, Vicente Mestre and Hermann Gavilán with a total of 142 strokes (-2).

The excitement of the Stroke Play phase wasn't limited to the fight for the top spots in the standings; it also centered on the battle for the final places that granted access to the 32-player bracket for the Match Play phase. The competition was incredibly close, to the point that a five-way playoff was necessary: Javier Cobiella, Javier Santolaya, Álvaro Serrano, Samuel Morán, and Eladio Dano Pérez. After an intense struggle, Cobiella and Morán secured the last two spots in the knockout rounds.

Double lead at the start of the tournament

The Spanish Match Play Championship – 108th Puerta de Hierro Cup 2026 – began at Isla Canela Old Course (Huelva) with the first round, in which two golfers shared first place: Arián Rodríguez and Hermann Gavilán. Both players turned in scores of 68 strokes (-4) with an identical balance of six birdies and two bogeys, although Rodríguez started his round on the 10th hole and Gavilán on the 1st.

Just one stroke behind Arián Rodríguez and Hermann Gavilán were Daniel Martínez and Yago Horno, sharing third place, and a total of nine players recorded rounds below par.

As a reminder, for the fourth consecutive year, participating golfers have the mission of finishing within the top 32 after the first two rounds of Stroke Play, which are the players who qualify for the main draw. From that point on, the tournament returns to its traditional and fast-paced Match Play format.

The Puerta de Hierro National Cup, which counts towards the World Ranking, is one of the most important events on the Spanish amateur men's golf calendar of the year due to its long-standing tradition, since, with the exception of the years in which the civil war took place, it has been played uninterruptedly since 1915 on the course to which the last winner belongs.