The 28th Copa Harmon Writes a New Chapter in Its History
Carlos Vila, Guillermo Poch, Jordi Romero, Íñigo Jiménez and Olegario Godó are crowned champions of an edition that once again brought together competition, tradition and camaraderie at Real Club de Golf El Prat.
Some tournaments are about much more than the final score. Competitions that become part of a club’s identity and keep its traditions alive, generation after generation. The Copa Harmon is undoubtedly one of them.
On 16 and 17 October, Real Club de Golf El Prat hosted the 28th edition of this prestigious tournament, once again bringing together members and guests to celebrate their shared passion for golf and a history spanning more than nine decades.
With 25 teams registered and the Rosa Course providing the setting, players enjoyed two days of competition in which every stroke counted towards claiming one of the most special titles on the Club’s calendar.
Two Days to Decide the Champions
The competition got underway on Friday with the Fourball Medal format, a first round in which strategy, teamwork and a strong partnership on the course took centre stage.
Saturday saw the Individual Medal round, with a decisive second day determining the final standings. Two different formats that tested both individual performance and team consistency.
Once all the scores had been counted, the team of Carlos Vila, Guillermo Poch, Jordi Romero, Íñigo Jiménez and Olegario Godó were crowned champions of the 28th Copa Harmon with a total of 351 strokes.
The winning team also produced some standout individual performances. Guillermo Poch recorded the best individual handicap score with 69 strokes, while Carlos Vila and Olegario Godó claimed the best Fourball handicap result with 63 strokes.
In the team scratch competition, victory went to Bruno Camí, Tomás Junquera, Álex Albiñana and Vicente Mestre, with a total of 357 strokes. Mestre also stood out individually, recording the best scratch score with a round of 70.
Meanwhile, Francisco González, Bertrand Hagger, Jaime Ballestero and Cédric Berger received the award for Best Guest Team, finishing with 372 strokes.
28th Copa Harmon | Roll of Honour
A Trophy That Survived the War and Returned Home Almost 60 Years Later
But the Copa Harmon cannot be understood through its results alone. Behind this trophy lies one of the most remarkable stories in the history of Real Club de Golf El Prat.
As is customary at each edition, Pablo Güell once again shared the origins of the competition with those attending, recalling some of the extraordinary events that have made the Copa Harmon such a treasured part of the Club’s heritage.
The story begins in 1934, when American Colonel Clifford Burke Harmon presented the then Real Club de Golf de Pedralbes with a solid gold trophy crafted by the renowned goldsmith Keller. This gift gave rise to a competition that would soon become one of the highlights of the Club’s sporting and social calendar.
However, in 1936, with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the trophy’s story took an unexpected turn. To protect it from theft, Juan Rosell, known as Juanet and a golf professional at the Club, decided to bury it beneath the green of the 9th hole at the former Pedralbes course.
An extraordinary decision that ultimately helped preserve one of the most valuable pieces of the Club’s history.
The trophy was later recovered, and the competition continued until 1954, when the Club left Pedralbes and relocated to El Prat de Llobregat. With that move, the tournament was discontinued, and the trophy remained away from competition for almost six decades.
Then came 2012, the year of the Club’s centenary. Thanks to D. Claudio Güell, who entrusted the historic trophy back to the Club, the Copa Harmon finally returned home. The Board decided to revive the competition, restoring the trophy to the prominence it had enjoyed in its early years.
Today, more than 90 years after its creation, the Copa Harmon continues to write new chapters in its history. And thanks to the story Pablo Güell shares year after year, new generations of golfers can discover the extraordinary journey of a trophy that represents so much more than a prize.
A Celebration Worthy of the Tradition
As tradition would have it, the Copa Harmon did not end with the final putt.
After two days of competition, the celebrations moved to the Clubhouse, where players and guests gathered for an evening that began with an aperitif at the English Bar and its terrace, followed by dinner and the traditional prize-giving ceremony in the Trophy Room.
It was an opportunity to reconnect, look back on the tournament’s best moments and celebrate the results in an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie.
Because if the Copa Harmon has proved anything throughout its history, it is its ability to bring generations together, keep traditions alive and remind us that golf is also about everything we share beyond the course.
On behalf of Real Club de Golf El Prat, we would like to congratulate all the winners and thank every participant for being part of this 28th edition.
Congratulations to everyone, and we look forward to seeing you at the next Copa Harmon!
