It has taken six years for the Spanish Seniors Golf Association (AESGOLF) team to avenge its defeat in 2018, when the first edition of this tournament was held at the Palmeraie Golf Palace in Marrakech. On that occasion, the Moroccan team won by 11.5 to 6.5 points over the Spanish team in this Ryder Cup-style competition. The Spanish team won this time by a very similar score, 11 to 7, which shows the great equality between the seniors of both countries.
The second edition should have been played in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be postponed, and to resume it now happily this May 2024, with the Real Club Sevilla Golf as the venue, whose course presented excellent conditions, enhanced by the good weather in the capital of Seville.
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The Spain-Morocco Cup is a match-play competition modelled on the Europe-America Ryder Cup. Having overcome the disadvantages of the pandemic, it is also intended to be held every two years, alternately on Moroccan and Spanish soil, with the Association of each host country choosing the course on which the twelve players from each team will compete for victory.
The competition was therefore played in two rounds, the first in the Fourballs mode with six points at stake, in which the Moroccan team took the lead with a score of 3.5 to 2.5 points. On the second day, the twelve individual matches were played, in which Spain dominated the scoreboard by 8.5 to 3.5 points, winning by a final score of 11 to 7. As in the Ryder, the winner of the Cup will keep it until it is played again in the next edition, which should therefore be played in 2026 in Morocco.
The atmosphere of cordiality and camaraderie was evident from the moment the players of both teams, captained respectively by José Antonio Estebanell and Jalil Bennazzouz, the latter as non-playing captain, complied with the ritual of posing together before the start of the competition.
The Spanish squad comprised Estebanell, Antona, Marfíl, González, Tiralongo, Costa, García Álvarez, Sánchez Gallego, Rivero, Orsini, De la Rúa and Pérez Aparicio.
The Moroccan team lined up Berrada, Hassan El Mansouri, Reda Mansouri, Haddaji, Menna, Berdai, El Jafali, Laarraf, Chakboub, Adyel, Benchekroun and Abdallaoui.
Filiberto Cano, President of AESGOLF, presented the trophy to the Spanish captain, before commenting that “the two teams enjoyed a great atmosphere, both competitive and fraternal at the same time. The matches have shown a high level of play on a great course like Real Club Sevilla Golf. We all like this type of team competition and if the professionals always play for money, there is only one great competition, which is the Ryder, where everyone goes out of their way to play for free”.
For his part, the Moroccan captain, Jalil Bennazzouz, after congratulating the Spaniards on their triumph, called on them for 2026 in the Alaouite kingdom, and in accordance with the ritual of this gentleman’s sport, will extend the invitation to the Spanish team as soon as they have decided on the venue for the next match.
