Greece hosts the international professional golf meeting
From 13 to 16 October 2026, Porto Carras Grand Resort on the Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki, Greece, hosted the CPG Festival of Golf. The programme brought together the Confederation of Professional Golf's annual congress, professional awards and the 37th International Team Championship (ITC). The competition itself was played on 14–16 October at Porto Carras Golf. CPG published the championship result on 19 October and its broader festival review on 21 October.
The distinction between location and nationality matters: Greece hosted the event, but the winning golfers represented the PGA of Holland. This was an international competition among professional PGA associations, not the Greek national golf championship.
How Holland finished 33 under par
The PGA of Holland trio — Emilio Meijer, Tim van der Steen and Aydan Verdonk — claimed the Sandy Jones Trophy at 33 under par (−33). The PGA of Poland and the Royal PGA of Belgium finished five strokes behind at −28.
The team scoring system explains why the final total should not be mistaken for a single player's score. Three professionals represented each association, but only its best two rounds counted on each of the three days. The first two rounds formed part of a Pro-Am, with amateur guests joining the professionals; the last round was played by the professionals alone.
Van der Steen produced the lowest individual aggregate of the week. His scores of 66, 62 and 67 added up to 195 (−21), two strokes better than Poland's Mateusz Gradecki. The day's most eye-catching number nevertheless belonged to Gradecki, whose final-round 61 was the lowest round recorded in the championship.
The congress behind the championship
According to CPG's post-event account, delegates and guests from 17 nationalities joined the festival. That figure describes the wider gathering; it should not be interpreted as a count of competing national teams.
The schedule placed professional development alongside golf. Congress discussions explored AI and digital technology in the golf industry, the future of PGA education, employment and member engagement. Gabor Szoard and Golf Genius contributed to discussions of technology, while Glenn Cundari of COACH+ led work on professional learning. These were industry discussions, not announcements of new compulsory playing rules.
CPG reported a €8,000 total prize fund for the championship, including €3,000 for the winning team.
What the event means for the Greek host
This was Porto Carras's second consecutive year hosting the CPG festival. Its 18-hole course sits between the Aegean Sea and Mount Itamos, and the wider resort can accommodate both tournament play and professional meetings. For Greece, that is a concrete example of a domestic golf venue appearing on an international professional calendar.
Hosting an international event does not, by itself, establish that domestic participation in Greek golf has risen; CPG's reports give no new national participation totals. What they confirm is the venue, competition, result and Greece's role as the host.
Sources: CPG official championship result, 19 October and CPG festival report, 21 October.
