Jamie Donaldson dramatically birdied the final hole to win the Staysure Marbella Legends after a scintillating final-round 64 at Aloha Golf Club. A back-nine of just 30 shots saw the 2014 Ryder Cup player edge out another member of Paul McGinley’s victorious European team, Stephen Gallacher, by a single shot after the Scot’s superb 65.

Overnight leaders, Thomas Bjørn and home favourite Miguel Ángel Jiménez, finished third and fourth, respectively, after being unable to keep up with the leading duo. Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg was T5 after a 69, alongside 2025 Order of Merit winner Scott Hend – who made an electric start and held the lead midway through the final round before fading late on.

The top-10 was rounded off by Swedish duo Joakim Haeggman and Johan Edfors, Denmark’s Anders Hansen and English pair Craig Farrelly and Greg Owen.

Standing on the 18th fairway tied at -12 with Gallacher, with a play-off looking likely, Donaldson produced a shot for the ages – a 5-iron from 205 yards to three feet to move one clear. When Gallacher’s lengthy birdie try slid by, a second Staysure Legends Tour title – and a second on Spanish soil after he claimed the Champions UK European Senior Masters at La Manga in November – was his.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Donaldson, who only turned 50 in October and has made an impressive start to his Staysure Legends Tour career. “I played great today and I had to, given that Stevie’s shot an amazing round as well. The shot on 18th was a tricky one – you’ve got to take a club that’s only just going to make it to the hole if you hit it perfectly, which luckily I did.

“I hit a nice draw in there, one bounce and it was nice to see it next to the hole. It would have been even nicer if it had been a tap in, but it’s nice to leave yourself a little fiddly three and a half or two down the hill. When it went in it was amazing.

“Stevie is a really good friend of mine. You want him to birdie the last, then you battle it out in a play-off, but it’s a little bit easier if he doesn’t. You want people to beat you playing their best golf. He shot seven-under today, and I just happened to shoot eight to pip him by one. So a really good day all round and I’m looking forward to celebrating. Any time you win it’s special.”

In perfect scoring conditions at the immaculate Aloha Golf Club, a number of players made early moves, including Hend, who hit the front at -10 by the time the leaders reached the 5th hole. Jiménez birdied the first to reach -9 but couldn’t make any more forward progress as Gallacher and Donaldson clicked into top gear.

After steadily notching birdies on Sunday, Gallacher enjoyed a two-shot lead with four to play, but after failing to birdie the par-five 16th, the Scot was eventually overhauled by an incredible birdie blitz from Donaldson that saw him pick up shots on 14, 15, 16 and then – critically – on 18.

“I kind of thought I need to do something like that,” said Gallacher after a brilliant bogey-free 65 – a number matched by Markus Brier and the winner last time out in Mauritius, Greg Owen.

“One shot in it – that’s what happens. You’ve got to go low. Jamie’s a great player. I’ve been practising with him all week so I knew he was playing well. I holed more putts today and was just giving myself chances all day. I’ve played great and it’s a great week to start the year off. The course has been amazing, to be honest. The greens are phenomenal. With the bad weather we’ve had, the course is fantastic.”

In front of huge crowds in Marbella – all clamouring for a glimpse of their heroes Jiménez and José María Olazábal – it was another Spaniard who gave the home fans something to cheer about. Playing the par-three 8th hole, Miguel Angel Martin saw his 5-hybrid from 197 yards drop for an unlikely ace and set the tone for a day of low scoring on the Costa del Sol.

The Staysure Marbella Legends is the first event of what is a truly global schedule for the Staysure Legends Tour in 2026, with 18 tournaments (and more to be announced), three Majors and more than €20million prize money to play for. The tournament featured a host of big names including two of Spain’s most iconic figures — José María Olazábal and Miguel Ángel Jiménez — as well as two Ryder Cup captains, Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjørn, and Major champions Paul Lawrie and Michael Campbell.

The Staysure Legends Tour moves on to the Caribbean for the Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam.

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