France beat Spain 10.5–5.5 in the 29th Spain–France Junior Match, held on 31 October and 1 November 2026 at Real Club de Golf de San Sebastián in Hondarribia, in Spain's Basque Country. The home side remained within one point after Saturday's foursomes, but the visitors controlled Sunday's singles.
Saturday's foursomes kept the contest open
The opening day featured eight foursomes matches, four in the morning and four in the afternoon. Under foursomes rules, each pair plays one ball with partners taking alternate strokes; it is not four-ball and the match score does not represent strokes played. France won the morning session 2.5–1.5, while the afternoon ended 2–2, leaving the visitors ahead 4.5–3.5 overnight.
Spain's standout pairing was Icíar Rodríguez and Paula Puerta, who won both of their matches 2&1. They defeated Ludivine Passe and Lou-Ann Gouyon in the morning, and Eléa Bastoni and Passe later that day. Martín Cervera and Jorge de la Riva halved their morning match, then beat Jayson Piermont and Maxence Dennetiere 4&3 in the afternoon. Together, those two Spanish pairings supplied all 3.5 of the home team's opening-day points.
Singles decided the outcome
Eight singles matches followed on Sunday. France earned six points to Spain's two, turning its narrow lead into a comfortable 10.5–5.5 final result. Pedro Tineo registered Spain's only singles win, defeating Maxence Dennetiere 3&2. Paula Puerta halved her match against Lou-Ann Gouyon, while Jorge de la Riva also shared a point with Tao Pemerika.
France won the other five singles. Morgane Da Eira defeated Valentina Corretja by two holes, Eléa Bastoni beat Daniela Lozano 4&3 and Ludivine Passe overcame Icíar Rodríguez 2&1. Those results illustrate why match-play points should not be confused with stroke-play scores: each singles victory contributed one match point, irrespective of the winning margin.
The overall total is straightforward: Spain's 3.5 Saturday points plus two Sunday points made 5.5; France's 4.5 plus six made 10.5.
A valuable test for Spain's next generation
Spain fielded Jorge de la Riva, Lucas Barra, Martín Cervera and Pedro Tineo in the boys' side, alongside Icíar Rodríguez, Paula Puerta, Daniela Lozano and Valentina Corretja. Marina Berraondo captained the team, with Kiko Luna and Paola Etchart providing technical support. De la Riva, Cervera and Puerta had previous experience in this traditional junior fixture.
The countries drew 8–8 at Golf Hossegor in France in 2025. Played across nearly three decades, the international match remains a significant opportunity for young golfers to learn the demands of team match play. Spain's strong foursomes partnerships were not enough this time, and Sunday's singles provide a clear focus for reflection and preparation.
Results and reporting: Real Federación Española de Golf (RFEG), final report dated 1 November 2026 and the official Spain–France Junior Match competition record.
