CPG ANNUAL AWARDS SUPPORTED BY ROLEX

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Ten years ago Slovakia had no professional golf tournament of its own. The idea had been sitting with Peter Petrovič for some time, as he later put it, “a long time, a long time”. In September 2017 thanks to Petrovič and colleague, Pavol Bielik, it finally got played as: two rounds at Penati Golf Resort, a €10,000 purse, and a Czech winner in Petr Nič.

The Penati Slovak Open has been named the 2026 recipient of the CPG President’s Award for Golf Development, which recognises a project or an individual that has excelled in developing the game as part of the CPG’s Annual Awards Supported by Rolex.

This September it staged its tenth edition: 54 holes over three days, 65 players from eight countries, a €30,000 prize fund, the largest in its history, a livestream and its own app. Rory Sabbatini, the tournament’s ambassador, won it for the second time.

The growth has been deliberate rather than sudden. Since 2018 the championship has been played on Penati’s Legend Course, home to the longest hole in Europe. That year, with 49 players from seven countries in the field, co-organiser Bielik said he could already see it becoming a three-day tournament. It did, in 2025, the same season it entered the World Amateur Golf Ranking. It now forms part of the CPG International Series, carrying Order of Merit points and a route to the Grand Final.

“It is hard work,” said Petrovič after receiving the award at the 2026 CPG Festival of Golf. “We started on the 2027 tournament in June of this year, before this one had even been played. It is not a simple tournament for one day. It is a festival at Penati Resort, five tournaments over four days. We have good partners, many of them coming back, and we thank every one of them.”

The stated purpose has not moved in ten years: to create a space for quality professional golf in Slovakia, to give Slovak players the chance to test themselves against international fields, and to bring the game closer to the next generation.

That last part is not an afterthought. In 2022 they added the Chip & Putt Slovak Open for children under ten, played on the practice ground during tournament week. This year, for the first time, it was livestreamed alongside the professionals.

“If we have players and no tournaments, we must make tournaments,” said Petrovič. “This is a tournament for players from Slovakia alongside players from other countries. It is a meeting point, and a great opportunity for Slovak players, professional or amateur.” Bielik added: “We want to keep making the tournament bigger.”

When the event app arrived for the anniversary edition, the organisers were careful about what it was for. “The application is not the goal,” they wrote. “It is another way to bring the Penati Slovak Open closer to the people.”

With thanks to the CPG Annual Awards Partner, Rolex, and to Porto Carras Grand Resort, Domaine Porto Carras, Official Air Carrier of the Festival of Golf, AEGEAN Airlines, and Olga Karaververis.

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