Ángel Ayora makes his debut on the PGA Tour

Following Jon Rahm’s departure to the LIV Golf, Spanish representation on the PGA Tour dwindled, with no Spanish golfers holding full-time cards on the American circuit. A silver lining emerged with Jorge Campillo, who secured one of the 10 partial cards awarded by the DP World Tour last year and has already completed two events on the world’s most prestigious tour. This week, at the Puerto Rico Open, the Extremaduran will be joined by another Spaniard: Ángel Ayora, who will make his PGA Tour debut at just 19 years old.

Angel Ayora, news

Hailing from Manilva, Marbella, although groomed in golf at La Cañada Golf Club (San Roque), Ayora turned professional in November of last year. He will make his debut on the American circuit thanks to an invitation to the tournament, the Puerto Rico Open, which will run simultaneously with the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where the PGA heavyweights will be competing. “Excited to play for the first time on the PGA Tour, I couldn’t be more grateful to my team for all they are doing for my career!” announced Ayora on his social media, expressing gratitude to a team that includes Javier Ballesteros, son of Seve and director of golf at All in Sports Group, the company representing the Andalusian.

Ayora has been one of Spain’s most promising amateur players lately, part of the Spanish team that won the European Amateur Championship last year and recipient of the Gold Medal of Merit from the Royal Spanish Golf Federation. He came into prominence in the latter part of 2023 when he won the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School at Donnington, and in the second stage, he achieved another impressive third position. He participated in the Spanish Open as an amateur, turning professional just before the third stage of the Qualifying School, where he did not secure full access to the DP World Tour. Despite this, this season he has already competed and made the cut at the Australian Open (finishing 21st) and the Mauritius Open (finishing 33rd), two events on the European circuit.

His roadmap for this year primarily involves the Challenge Tour, the second division of the European Tour, where his best result so far has been a 12th place at the SDC Open. Now, at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Río Grande, Puerto Rico, he will compete for the first time on the PGA Tour, vying for a prize purse of four million dollars and a victory that, dreamily speaking, would grant him a full card on the American circuit until 2026 and automatic qualification to next week’s The Players Championship and the PGA Championship, as well as The Sentry Tournament of Champions next year. It’s a remote possibility, but the same prize that Jorge Campillo, the second Spaniard in this 16th edition of the tournament, is aiming for. Campillo will be competing in his third consecutive event in the Americas after the Mexico Open (finishing 19th) and the Cognizant Classic (finishing 53rd). Spanish representation returns to the PGA Tour.