The first Iberian Golf Director’s Cup, facilitated and supported by Jacobsen, took place at Estoril Golf Club near Lisbon. Two teams representing Spain and Portugal, were comprised of 12 players from each country: eight were chosen by their respective national associations and four more were chosen to participate as guests of Jacobsen’s Spanish and Portuguese distributors, Greenmowers and Tijardim, respectively.

The idea of a Ryder Cup-style competition was conceived collaboratively by Jacobsen, Greenmowers and the Spanish Association of Golf Course Managers (AEGG) with the aim of strengthening relationships between Spanish golf directors and their Portuguese counterparts.

The Portuguese team, sporting white polo shirts challenged the Spanish team, dressed in blue, to a match-play tournament at the Jacobsen-maintained 18-hole championship course, which has hosted the Portuguese Open on numerous occasions. The final score 8.5 – 3.5 reflected the dominance of the Portuguese team throughout the day. At the end of a fiercely contested competition, both teams retired to the clubhouse for lunch and presentation of the trophies.

The Spanish team will look to make amends next year when the Iberian Golf Director’s Cup is hosted at Lerma Golf Club in Burgos, Spain, which is also maintained by a fleet of Jacobsen machines.