The Madrid Higher Sports Council (CSD) was once again the venue chosen by the Spanish Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) to present two important new developments: the tenth edition of the III TUMI Spain Golf Tour and the new World Alliance of PGAs from 43 different countries around the world, which will be established in England next July, and of which Spain will be an important part.
The 10th edition of the revamped National Golf Circuit, III TUMI Spain Golf Tour comes with many new features for this 2026 edition. The most important are the seven invitations to tournaments on the Challenge Tour, the second most important circuit in Europe, which will be awarded to the winner of the Order of Merit, which from this year will bear the name of José María Olazábal, a tribute to one of our national golf legends. This major new feature is the result of agreements with the Royal Spanish Golf Federation.
For the third consecutive year, the circuit will be sponsored by TUMI: a globally recognized American luxury brand, founded in 1975, specializing in high-performance luggage, backpacks, and travel accessories, and famous for its use of ballistic nylon. Titleist and FootJoy also join the sponsorship, providing the Order of Merit winner with equipment to cover all their competition needs.
The circuit has been growing, step by step, and this year features a calendar of 10 events spread across the Iberian Peninsula: Basque Country, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, Murcia, Madrid, Andalusia, and the PGA is once again holding a tournament in Portugal. It is now a well-established national circuit, providing opportunities for all the young talents who want to compete in Europe and offering added value for our legends to continue playing on other tours, such as the Alps Tour, the Challenge Tour, or Legends Senior.
This year, the Nin9rs Games, a team competition in the style of LIV Golf, which debuted last year and has been so successful among professionals, are being integrated with cash prizes. The winning team of the last edition was Atlas by Golf Lleida, made up of José Luis Adarraga, Alex Esmatges, Emilio Cuartero, Gerard Piris, and Carlos Pigem.
A new world alliance of PGAs
During the European PGA Congress held in Turkey last year, the presentation of the Spanish national circuit generated a very positive impact. Furthermore, this year we will be part of the new World PGA Alliance, which will be established in England next July and will include 43 PGAs from different countries. This change will be spearheaded by the PGA of Spain, among other important PGAs worldwide.
Ander Martínez, President of the PGA of Spain: “Once again, we are here to present the national circuit, the III TUMI Spain Golf Tour, to the CSD, with a calendar of 10 tournaments and some historic new features. Thanks to an agreement with the RFEG, the winner of the 2026 Order of Merit will receive seven invitations to play in various European Challenge Tour events. This Order of Merit will bear the name of José María Olazábal. Our legends are always present; on this circuit, we play on three courses designed by Seve Ballesteros and two by Manolo Piñero. We continue to move forward with the support of sponsors like TUMI, which once again lends its name to the circuit, as well as Footjoy and Titleist. With the history of our association and our members, and the high level of the players, we must continue working together, as we have much to achieve and a lot of room for improvement.”
Juan Guerrero, President of the RFEG: “Without a doubt, the agreement we have reached with the PGA for this year, with the Challenge Tour invitations, is a historic milestone that marks a new line of work for the Association, which I would say is not only the oldest in Spain for the sport, but also the oldest association in Europe. In the ProSpain Team program that we launched this year, all the professionals, both men and women, are PGA members, as well as the sports coaches.”
Fernando Molinero, Director General of Sports at the CSD: “Today we haven’t just come to present a golf circuit, but a platform for athletes who want to launch themselves into the professional world. And that’s where we come in, in that intermediate zone between amateurism and professionalism. Circuits like this PGA Tour are crucial for bridging those two worlds, and the CSD is always there to manage public funds for projects that encourage and support athletes. From the federations, like those represented here; from the institutions that have come today to support this circuit; from private initiatives and sponsors; and from the CSD, we are working to bring major golf events to our country, such as the Ryder Cup, which will once again be held in Spain. All these major events form a sporting pyramid to consolidate the sport. And golf, as has been said, is a very special sport that in each generation has had a great athlete, a legend who transcends borders.” Spain. And the CSD is and will be with all of them.”
Also present at the presentation were David Aganzo, president of the AFE, further solidifying the link between the two associations, which has existed for over 50 years and is an important pillar for the PGA of Spain; Ignacio Miranda, president of TUMI; Carlos Alberto Yuste, director general of Youth and Sports of the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha; Patricia Saldaña, vice president of sports of the Provincial Council of Ciudad Real; Jon Ander Sánchez, managing director of Izki Golf; Javier Saiz, president of the Basque Golf Federation; Aitor Gorospe, president of the Álava Golf Federation; and Juan José Poblete, president of Golf Ciudad Real. José Manuel Caballero, manager of Golf Ciudad Real; Daniel Berná, president of the Professional Committee of the Castile and León Federation; Hugo Espósito, creator of the Nin9er Games; and Andrea Pascual,director of Marketing and Communication at New Sierra Golf.
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