Cadiz-born Mario Galiano claimed this Sunday his second consecutive txapela (the Basque champion’s beret) at the V Bizkaia PGAe Open at Meaztegi Golf. With fourteen under par and a three-shot lead over Álvaro Morales and Marc Sabriá, the Andalusian player took the title on our course in an event counting for the III Tumi Golf Tour and promoted by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia and the PGAe.
Galiano has once again written his name into the roll of honour of the Bizkaia PGAe Open at La Arboleda and leaves us with an unforgettable image: the champion holding the txapela high above the fairways of our public course, on a final day of pure golfing passion.
The Andalusian golfer signed for a 69 (-3) this Sunday, after showing the most solid consistency of the three rounds. His definitive fourteen under par was the perfect reward for a week in which Meaztegi has once again treated him like home.
The V Bizkaia PGAe Open is promoted by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, owner of our facilities, and by the Spanish Association of Golf Professionals (PGAe). It is that institutional alliance that turns each edition into a key date on the national professional calendar.
Galiano went out for the final round aware that the opportunity was within his reach and started fully switched on: four birdies in the first nine holes authoritatively extended the narrow lead he had carried over from the two previous days of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open.
With five holes to play he reached the closing stretch with a six-shot cushion and, perhaps because of that, his game lost some of its sharpness. Three near-consecutive bogeys between the 12th and the 17th reactivated the competition and opened a crack for his pursuers to close the gap.
He had the trajectory of his playing partners (Marc Sabriá and Juan Salama) under control, but behind them the player from Ávila Álvaro Morales was charging hard, stringing together an eagle and two birdies down the stretch that added real spice to the closing miles of the tournament at Meaztegi.
Galiano’s final putt for par on the 18th was not celebrated as an immediate triumph: Morales still had two holes to complete. In the end, Álvaro Morales made two consecutive pars and settled for second place, while our champion celebrated his Bizkaia PGAe Open victory inside the clubhouse.
The Cadiz-born player has not only defended last year’s success at Meaztegi but also notches his second win in the four events played so far on the III Tumi Golf Tour, organised by the PGAe, after his earlier triumph in the pairs championship alongside Asier Aguirre at Izki (Álava).
The leaderboard of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open was headed by Mario Galiano (-14), followed by Álvaro Morales and Marc Sabriá (-11), with a group of three players tied at -9: Juan Salama, Agustí Quinquilla and Gonzalo Leal.
The first Basque representatives at the V Bizkaia PGAe Open were Gonzalo Escauriaza and Borja Martín, both at five under par and tied in sixteenth position. Joseba Torres, nephew of José María Olazábal, completed the three rounds at four under par, while Olazábal himself closed his appearance at Meaztegi at one under par.
The top amateur trophy at the V Bizkaia PGAe Open went to the young Bizkaia native Javier Domingo, who signed for -1 and had the privilege of sharing the round with José María Olazábal and Álvaro Quirós. Another Bizkaia native, Javier Sáinz, completed his appearance at two under par.
In the children’s pro-am also played this Sunday at Meaztegi Golf, in partnership with the Jon Rahm 4 Kids foundation, 20 teams took part from 17 golf schools across Euskadi, Cantabria and Castilla y León, joined by two French schools as a new feature of this edition. The win went to the team from Irelore club in Oñati (Gipuzkoa), who took home an unforgettable day on our course.
Several hundred fans braved the suffocating heat — with temperatures close to forty degrees during parts of the day — to witness the climax of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open at La Arboleda. The turnout confirms once again that at Meaztegi Golf we have consolidated a tournament regarded as the “major” of the PGAe circuit.
Statements from Mario Galiano, champion of the V Bizkaia PGAe Open
“I have felt great all week, I have played very well and I cannot ask for more. For today my goal was to play my golf, take my mind off the leaderboard a little, and when I started playing well and saw on hole 13 or 14 that I had a six-shot lead, that hurt me a bit because I started playing to protect the result and a couple of strange bogeys came in. I was a bit too cautious, especially on the 14th, but the important thing was to secure the goal.”
“In the latest tournaments I haven’t been at my best and I came in wanting to focus on my own game, to enjoy it and stay concentrated on every hole, and I managed to do that.”
“Here I feel at home, I really like this course, especially the atmosphere, the excellent organisation and the course, which is in outstanding condition. It already makes me want to come back next year. I now have three txapelas, the two from Meaztegi and the one from Izki this year. In the end I’m going to turn Basque.”
“The organisation at Meaztegi is incredible, they do a great job. It’s in a perfect location. Bilbao is a great city and Bizkaia is a great place to come in summer. I think it has everything.”
From Meaztegi Golf we want to thank all the players, sponsors and fans who made this fifth edition of the Bizkaia PGAe Open possible. The tournament is promoted by the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, Meaztegi Golf and the PGA of Spain. Main sponsors: Inelco, Fermax, Game Telecomunicaciones, Grescrap, Basque Golf Federation, Bizkaia Golf Federation, Aelvasa, El Correo, Tele Bilbao, Pangea, Chef Lali and the main sponsor of the PGA Circuit, TUMI. Other sponsors: Urbelan, Alkizabal, Gaimaz, Intxausti, Ruyma, Sustraiak and Bycam. Partners: Boxify, Wilson, Bacalao Eguino, Titleist, Piérola, Eye Swing-BRK, Macallan, AFE and 9NIN9R. Foundations: DalecandELA and Jon Rahm 4 Kids. If you want to discover every corner of our course, we invite you to explore the hole-by-hole guide to Meaztegi Golf and book your next round at La Arboleda.