Hugo Makes It Three From Three at La Manga

Three starts, three trophies, and a Tour card he very nearly didn’t get.

In January, Jean Hugo went to Legends Tour Qualifying School and came home without a card. On Sunday 8 November he won the Champions UK plc European Senior Masters on the South Course at La Manga Club in Murcia, his third victory from three starts on the Staysure Legends Tour. Some of you might know La Manga from your own Spain golf holidays, though probably not from the top of a leaderboard. Tour School may want to review its notes. (Legends Tour)

Jean Hugo holding the Champions UK plc European Senior Masters trophy at La Manga Club

Three Behind, Then Eight Birdies

Hugo started the final day three shots behind England’s Van Phillips and wasted no time. Birdies at the second, third, fourth and sixth drew him level on 15 under, and he kept going: one more at the ninth, two at the 14th and 15th, and an eighth at the par-five 18th. That was a bogey-free 65 for a 19-under total and the clubhouse target. (Legends Tour)

Phillips came to the last needing an eagle to force a play-off. The putt slid by, he tapped in for a 69, and missed out by one. The 18th has form for this sort of thing: Arnold Palmer eagled it to win the 1975 Spanish Open on this course by a single shot. La Manga, it seems, saves its best scripts for the final hole. (Golf Property)

Three Starts, Three Trophies

Hugo is a 22-time winner on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, and he only turned 50 last December. His first win as a senior came at the Reignwood Legends Championship in Beijing in early October, and that earned him the status Tour School had denied him. On 1 November he closed with a 62 at Pinheirinho to take the inaugural Portugal Legends Championship, the Comporta event we previewed in October. A week later came La Manga. (The Scotsman)

He called the China win “a bit of validation after missing out at Tour School”. Two more trophies have rather settled the matter. And in the week the DP World Tour’s own hopefuls are sweating through Final Stage at INFINITUM, he offers some cheer: a bad week at Q-School is not always the end of the story.

A Leaderboard Full of Familiar Names

India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, the 2012 Scottish Open champion, finished third on 17 under. Chile’s Felipe Aguilar led at the turn, dropped shots at the 10th, 11th and 12th, then eagled the last to salvage fourth. Golf giveth, and golf taketh away, usually in that order. (Legends Tour)

Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion and La Manga winner in 2022, shared seventh on 13 under with Stephen Gallacher. Gallacher still leads the Road to Cambodia Order of Merit, but Hugo has climbed to fifth, with three Asian events left, starting in Vietnam on 20 November. (Legends Tour)

Playing the South Course Yourself

The South is La Manga’s flagship: a par 73 laid out by Robert Dean Putman in 1971, later reworked by Arnold Palmer, and 6,499 metres from the back tees. It hosted the Spanish Open every year from 1973 to 1977, and its palm-lined fairways and lakes still ask plenty of a mid-handicapper. (Top 100 Golf Courses; GolfPass)

Aerial shot of La Manga South Course

The North and West courses complete the set, and the resort’s hotel, now the Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa, means nobody has to drive anywhere. Head down to Cabo de Palos for caldero, the Mar Menor’s rice-and-fish speciality, and finish with an asiático in Cartagena. Nobody will expect a 65.

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Browse our Costa Blanca golf holidays and take on the South Course at your own pace.

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Colin Montgomerie Headlines the Legends Tour Return to Costa Navarino

The Staysure Legends Tour brings Major champions back to Greece for a third consecutive year, 12–14 June

The Staysure Legends Tour arrives at Costa Navarino next week for the third consecutive year, and this edition arrives with perhaps its strongest field yet. The Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy runs 12–14 June across two of the destination’s four championship courses — the fourth event on the 2026 Staysure Legends Tour calendar and the tour’s first continental European stop of the season.

Colin Montgomerie at the Staysure Legends Tour 2026

Colin Montgomerie is confirmed as the headline name. There are worse ways to spend a week in June. (legendstour.com)

Montgomerie Leads a Field Worth Watching

Montgomerie arrives in Messinia with a record that requires no embellishment: eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, 31 wins on tour, and the captaincy of Europe’s victorious 2010 Ryder Cup side. He is joined by defending champion Peter Baker, who won the 2025 edition without dropping a shot across the entire final round — a performance that set a bar most mortals would struggle to locate, let alone clear.

Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, is also in the field. Lawrie was the story of last year’s event, carding a course-record ten-under 62 on The Hills Course in round two before Baker edged him on the final day. Michael Campbell completes a headline quartet that accounts for three Major titles between them. (golfbusinessnews.com)

The Courses: Designed for This Level of Golf

The tournament is played across two of the four layouts at Costa Navarino — The Hills Course and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course, both designed by two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal. Both sit at Navarino Hills, the 125-hectare development named the World’s Best New Golf Development at the 2020 World Golf Awards.

The International Olympic Course at Navarino Hills, Costa Navarino, overlooking the Bay of Navarino, Greece The Hills Course at Navarino Hills, Costa Navarino, overlooking the Bay of Navarino, Greece

Elevated above the coastline with sweeping views of the Bay of Navarino and the Ionian Sea, both courses offer the kind of elevation changes and precision demands that tend to separate a good field from a great leaderboard. The Hills Course, scene of Lawrie’s record round last year, will be carrying a certain atmosphere going into the final day. (costanavarino.com)

The Setting

Costa Navarino sits in Messinia, in the southwest Peloponnese — a region of olive groves, ancient hilltop fortresses, and one of the most storied stretches of coastline in the Mediterranean. The Bay of Navarino, watched over by the 13th-century Niokastro fortress, was the site of the last great naval battle fought under sail.

The coastline of Messinia in the southwest Peloponnese, Greece, home to Costa Navarino
The light here in June sits low and golden over the Ionian Sea well into the evening. The food is exceptional, the pace is unhurried, and the courses are among the most visually arresting in Europe. It is, in short, the kind of place that makes the rest of the tour calendar look like it is trying too hard.
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Costa Navarino is one of those destinations that tends to settle the argument before you have finished making it. Four signature courses, two of them designed by a two-time Masters champion, set above one of the most beautiful bays in the Mediterranean. Accommodation that matches the golf step for step. And a corner of Greece that most of Europe has yet to fully discover. If the tournament has planted a seed, our Costa Navarino golf holidays are a good place to start.


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All Set for the Staysure Marbella Legends Tournament at Aloha Golf Club

Staysure Marbella Legends tournament presented at FITURThe highly anticipated Staysure Marbella Legends tournament has been officially unveiled at FITUR 2025, Madrid’s prestigious international tourism show. Set to take place from February 14 to 16, 2025, at the renowned Aloha Golf Club, this event marks the exciting season opener for the Legends Tour.

Aloha Golf Club, nestled in the heart of Marbella, is one of the most beloved golf courses among Tee Times Golf Agency clients, especially those seeking to combine world-class golf with the unmatched charm of Marbella. Aloha Golf offers the perfect setting for an unforgettable Spain Golf Holiday experience at Costa del Sol, from its pristine fairways to its warm Mediterranean atmosphere.

The tournament is organised by JGolf, a company founded in 2013 by Javier Gervás, a leader in Spain’s golf event management industry. JGolf has extensive experience organising professional and amateur tournaments, combining sports marketing and consulting expertise.

The Staysure Marbella Legends tournament will bring together legendary names from the golfing world, including José María Olazábal, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Angel Cabrera, Michael Campbell, and Colin Montgomerie. With 12 Ryder Cup players and winners of countless Majors and European Tour titles, this event promises to be a spectacular celebration of golfing greatness.

Staysure Marbella Legends at FITUR

At FITUR, Marbella’s Deputy Mayor, Félix Romero, highlighted the tournament’s importance: “The Staysure Marbella Legends puts Marbella at the centre of the golfing world, showcasing our city as an unmatched destination for both sports and tourism.”

Aloha Golf Club President Rafael Fontán emphasised the course’s readiness: “We are proud to host such an incredible lineup of players. Our team is dedicated to presenting the course in perfect condition to ensure an unforgettable experience for both professionals and amateurs.”

This tournament is not just a competition but an extraordinary opportunity for golf fans to play alongside their idols through the Legends Experience, offering amateurs a chance to share the course with golfing icons.

Marbella is a dream destination for golf fans with its luxurious lifestyle, stunning landscapes, and warm climate. As always, Tee Times is here to make your golf getaway effortless, offering exclusive packages to experience the best of Marbella, Aloha Golf, and beyond.

Don’t miss the chance to witness golfing history this February. Book your Spain Golf Holidays now with Tee Times Golf Agency and enjoy the Staysure Marbella Legends and the best golf courses Costa del Sol has for you!