Mason Essam Takes the First-Round Lead at the Alps de Andalucía-Roquetas de Mar
Roquetas de Mar, June 11th, 2026 – A mostly sunny but windy day provided a challenging start to the 2026 Alps de Andalucía-Roquetas de Mar, the first Alps Tour event of the season to be held on Spanish soil.
England’s Mason Essam carded an opening-round of 4-under-par, 66 to take the first-round lead. Essam made two birdies and one bogey on his opening nine holes before adding three more birdies on the back nine to move into the lead.
Behind him, the leaderboard remains tightly packed, with numerous players well-positioned heading into the second round of the tournament.
A group of four players share 2nd place with an opening round score of 2 under-par: France’s Theo Boulet and Damien Perrier, and Spain’s Alejandro Rodriguez Andreu and Daniel Berna Manzanares.
Round 2 will begin at 8.00 a.m. local time from both the 1st and 10th tees. At the conclusion of the second round, a cut will be made to the top 40 professionals and ties (including all amateurs within the cut) who will advance to the final round.
At stake this week is a total prize fund of €54,550 and 45,000 Order of Merit points. The 2026 Alps de Andalucía-Roquetas de Mar winner will walk away with €7,900 and 6,525 points towards the Order of Merit standings.
Round 1 Player Quotes
Mason Essam, 26, from England, said: “Today was great. You can’t really complain about making five birdies and one bogey to start a tournament, especially in such windy conditions, so I’m very pleased with the round. I wasn’t necessarily trying to shoot a particular score. It was one of those days when you can’t really plan or predict what’s going to happen. I simply picked my shots and tried my best. Over the next two rounds, my focus will be very much the same as it was today. The wind is forecast to be even stronger tomorrow, so I’ll just stay present and take it one shot at a time. I managed to get some good work done with the putter today and tidied things up nicely, which definitely helped keep the momentum going. Today wasn’t really a day for a bucket hat, though. The superstitious side of me couldn’t work out whether my best shots came with it on or off.”
France’s Théo Boulet, 23, sits in a share of second place after the opening round: “It was a very good day overall in extremely windy conditions, where it’s easy to make mistakes. My game was solid, and I focused on playing to larger targets, so I’m really pleased with how the day went. For me, the key this week in these conditions is to play smart and not try to force things or attack the course too aggressively. It was important to post a good score early in these conditions to get the tournament off to a strong start and put myself in a good position, because we all know that anything can happen when the wind is like this. Over the next two days, I’ll stick to my game plan. I’ll continue to play fairly conservatively, aiming for larger targets, and, above all, remain patient, because we know the wind can really test your patience out there.”
Tournament Promoter
The Alps de Andalucía-Roquetas de Mar is sponsored by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Andalusian Golf Federation, the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Higher Council for Sport (CSD), Roquetas de Mar City Council, Kyocera and Bodegas Juan Gil, and organized by JGolf18.0.
Alps Tour Media Contact: Alice Barbieri / Nathan Cardet –[email protected]
Photo Credits: Alps Tour Golf / Raffaele Canepa
For further information, please visit the official Alps Tour website at www.alpstourgolf.com or download the official Alps Tour Golf mobile application, available on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android). Stay informed by following the Alps Tour on social media via Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and X.
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