The Bizkaia Championship 2026 for professionals has its first round in the books. Meaztegi Golf welcomed the 19 registered professionals on Sunday 28 September, who opened the competition off the 1st tee between 09:00 and 09:50, playing individual stableford over Course 1. The day belonged to Carlos Roca and his eagle from 160 metres on the 6th.
First round tee times
The organisers split the start of the Bizkaia Championship into six consecutive groups, ten minutes apart:
- 09:00 — Carlos Roca Vicente-Franqueira, Óscar Campos Terreros and Eduardo Celles Anibarro
- 09:10 — Iñigo Moral Goirigolzarri, Juan Ángel Rosillo Zulueta and Jesús María Arruti Inchausti
- 09:20 — Crisanto Amaro Acencio-Sarmiento, Enetz Román Ganuza and Alain Leal Lubián
- 09:30 — Gonzalo Escauriaza Uribe-Echevarría, Pablo Basterra Fernández and Alberto Ocejo Gómez
- 09:40 — Javier Sainz Delgado, Jaime Herrero Corcóstegui and Juan Vega Gutiérrez
- 09:50 — Juan Francisco Sarasti Bernaras, Jon Garabieta Sebastián, Borja Alonso Urcelay and Unai Zubiaur Sánchez
Carlos Roca’s eagle from 160 metres
The shot of the day came in the very first group, and it came from a long way out. Carlos Roca Vicente-Franqueira holed out from 160 metres on the 6th for an eagle. Not a chip from the fringe, not a long putt: 160 metres, ball in the cup, two under par on a single hole.
Roca also gave us the image of the day: standing by the flag, pointing at the hole, the lake behind him. His playing partner Eduardo Celles Anibarro was the first to come over and congratulate him, and word of the shot travelled around the course before the first round of the Bizkaia Championship was over.
And the referee, out in the middle of the green
The other talking point of the Bizkaia Championship was not a golf shot. In the background of this photo, on the far side of the lake, the referee is standing right out on the green, next to the flag and putter in hand, while the group in the foreground finishes its hole. An eye-catching spot that kept the clubhouse talking for the rest of the morning.
A Seve course built for professional golf
Meaztegi has been hosting professional golf in the north of Spain for years, and a Bizkaia Championship like this one shows why: a layout designed by Severiano Ballesteros, with elevation changes and lakes in play, that rewards the player who thinks the shot through before hitting it.
Frequently asked questions about the Bizkaia Championship
How does individual stableford work?
Instead of adding up strokes, each hole awards points based on your score against par. The winner is whoever collects the most points, not whoever takes the fewest strokes.
What is an eagle?
Finishing a hole two strokes under par. On a par 4, that means holing out in two: one from the tee and one from the fairway, like Carlos Roca’s from 160 metres.
Who designed the Meaztegi course?
Severiano Ballesteros. His layout uses the natural slopes of the hillside and places the water where it forces you to choose between the safe shot and the brave one.