Preview: 2026 European Mid-Amateur Championships

The first event of the EGA's 2026 championship season is set to begin at Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club, Portugal.

The 2026 European Mid-Amateur Championships, open for elite amateurs aged 25-and-over, will be contested over three rounds of stroke play from Thursday to Saturday this week. Being played in Portugal, the tournaments will be run in coordination between the EGA and the Portuguese Golf Federation.

Here's everything you need to know before the event gets underway:

ABOUT THE EVENT

The event sees two separate European-titled tournaments, the European Mid-Amateur Men's Championship and European Mid-Amateur Ladies' Championship, contested in parallel over 54 holes of stroke play.

The men's edition was inaugurated in 1991, with this year's edition set to be the 36th. Formerly played on its own, the championship is now contested in conjunction with the women's equivalent, which was inaugurated in 2019.

The field, with a maximum of 144 players (90 men and 54 women), is cut to 54 men and 33 women and ties after 36 holes.

Players not only compete for the European titles of their age-categories, but also exemptions into the European Amateur or Ladies' Amateur Championships and US Mid-Amateur or Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, which are granted to the winners.

Medals are awarded to the top-three finishers in each tournament, and prizes are also presented to the top players aged 40-and-over.

With the European Mid-Amateur Team Championships on the horizon this September, players will have the extra motivation of proving themselves worthy of selection for their national teams.

THE VENUE

Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club returns to host the championships for a second consecutive year. The club is located in the beautiful Setúbal region of Portugal, just south of Lisbon. Opened in 1994, the 18-hole, par 72 golf course was designed by Rocky Roquemore and stretches over 6,170 metres from the back tees. The course is known for its challenging layout, featuring tight fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and challenging greens, all while being framed by the picturesque Arrábida mountains.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS RETURN

The 2025 championships at Quinta do Peru saw two outstanding champions crowned. In the men's category, Austria's Christoph Kogl claimed the title, two strokes clear of Estonia's Mattias Varjun, and will return to the same venue this week looking to defend his crown.

On the ladies' side, Ireland's Jessica Ross claimed the title she had so narrowly missed out on in a three-way playoff in 2023, finishing tied with compatriot Aideen Walsh before prevailing in the playoff. She will be equally determined to retain her European Mid-Amateur title on familiar terrain. The reigning women’s champion has also already shown strong form this year, with runner-up finishes at the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open and the Flogas Irish Women’s Open, both European Amateur Order of Merit counting events.

THE FIELD

143 players, consisting of 104 men and 39 women from 26 different countries, will compete for the European Mid-Amateur crowns this week.

In the men's field, defending champion Christoph Kogl (AUT) is joined by two other past champions. Markus Habeler (AUT), who dominated the 2024 edition in Latvia with an 8-stroke victory, returns looking to reclaim the title, as does Germany's Michael Thannhäuser, the 2023 champion, who will be looking to add a second title to his name having also finished runner-up in 2018.

On the women's side, defending champion Jessica Ross (IRL) - currently ranked third in the European Amateur Order of Merit - heads a strong field. France's Pauline Stein arrives with unfinished business, having finished runner-up in both 2024, while fellow Irishwoman Aideen Walsh, who pushed Ross all the way at Quinta do Peru last year, also returns. Germany's Alena Oppenheimer, the 2023 champion, will be hoping to add another title to her name.