José Luis Ballester, who recently won the US Amateur, the first Spaniard to do so in the history of the prestigious event, will tee it up at the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid, which takes place at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid from 26 to 29 September.
The 21-year-old player from Castellon, who is still an amateur, will provide another big attraction at the historic Spanish tournament as he joins a field replete with big-name professionals.
The line-up includes Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, a silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics; France’s Matthieu Pavon, the defending champion after he conquered the Open de España in 2023; Irishman Shane Lowry, a flagbearer for his nation at the Olympic Games and Champion Golfer of the Year in 2019; and England’s Tyrell Hatton, who boasts a dazzling trophy cabinet.
Ballester, whose fledgling career is built on solid foundations, has been turning heads ever since he first picked up a club at Mediterráneo Golf – the home of Sergio García –, and his endless list of achievements since he was a young boy are a sign that he is a special talent.
The Spaniard has claimed numerous prestigious titles, starting when he won the Under-10 Spanish Championship in 2013. He subsequently topped the leaderboard at the Under-12 Spanish Championship in 2015; the Under-14 Spanish Championship in 2016 and 2017; the Under-16 Spanish Championship in 2019; the 2020 Copa S. M. El Rey, and the 2023 European Amateur, as well as contributing to Spain’s gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 European Amateur Team Championships.
However, the young golfer hit the headlines on 18 August, when he became the first player from his country to win the US Amateur, one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments, which counts among its winners’ circle the likes of Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Sergio García’s semi-final finish there in 1998, was Spain’s previous best result.
On the day of his 21st birthday, José Luis Ballester won the final of the US Amateur, played over 36 holes before a sizeable crowd, with a 2-up victory over US player Noah Kent.
For an idea of the scale of his achievement, over 5,000 golfers applied for a place in the 2024 US Amateur, with only 311 being granted their wish. Ballester was the cream of the crop. This huge success story brings with it other valuable opportunities, including invitations (if he maintains his amateur status) to play in the US Masters and the US Open in 2025 and now, at the end of September he will play in the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid, which has previously been won by Spanish giants Severiano Ballesteros and Jon Rahm.
Tickets for the ACCIONA Open de España presented by Madrid are now available.
