The Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship, held from 7 to 10 May at the Real Club de Golf El Prat, marks the return to the DP World Tour of one of the tour’s most traditional regions. Since 1972, the year of its official creation, Catalonia has hosted a total of 28 tournaments, half of them in Barcelona.
With the Ryder Cup 2031 at Camiral on the horizon, Catalonia regains prominence on the DP World Tour calendar and continues a tradition that goes back to the 1970s. The inaugural season of the then-called European Tour, in 1972, already included an event at Golf de Pals (Girona) where the Open de España was contested, although El Prat had previously hosted four editions since 1956
The aforementioned Open de España has been held in Catalonia on 15 occasions, ten of them at the Real Club de Golf El Prat. The remainder took place at Pals (1972), Club de Golf Vallromanes (1985) and PGA Catalunya — currently Camiral — in 2000, 2009 and 2014
During the 1980s and 1990s Catalonia’s presence on the tour was constant. The schedule included events such as the Sanyo Open at Club de Golf Sant Cugat (1982) and Real Club de Golf El Prat (1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986); as well as the Open Catalonia or Catalan Open contested at Golf de Pals (1989, 1994), Club de Golf Bonmont (1991 and 1996), Club Golf d’Aro Mas Nou (1992) and Golf Club Peralada (1995)
By province, Barcelona has been the centre of Catalonia’s relationship with professional golf. The Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship 2026 will be its fifteenth tournament on the DP World Tour. Girona adds twelve events and Tarragona three
Catalonia has also been a recurrent stage for Spanish triumphs, with ten victories recorded by Antonio Garrido (Open de España 1972, Pals); Severiano Ballesteros (Open de España 1981, Sanyo Open 1985 at El Prat and Open de España 1985 at Vallromanes); José María Olazábal (Sanyo Open 1986 at El Prat and Open Catalonia 1991 at Bonmont); José Rivero (Catalan Open 1992 at Mas Nou); Miguel Ángel Jiménez (Open de España 2014 at PGA Catalunya); Pablo Larrazábal (ISPS Handa Championship in Spain 2022 at Infinitum) and Adri Arnaus (Catalunya Championship 2022 at PGA Catalunya)
Tickets for the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship (with a 25% discount for federation members, 50% for young people aged 13 to 17 and free entry for under‑13s) can be purchased here
The Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship, a DP World Tour event counting towards the Race to Dubai and the opening event of the European Swing, is held thanks to the essential collaboration of the Real Club de Golf El Prat, is sponsored by Estrella Damm and will kick off the Road to 2031 Ryder Cup, a journey that will conclude at the 2031 Ryder Cup to be held at Camiral.
