Chris Wood marked his graduation from the MENA Golf Tour in the most emphatic fashion possible, winning the Italian Challenge Open at Golf Nazionale on his first HotelPlanner Tour start of the 2026 season.
The 38-year-old Englishman, who dominated the 2025/26 MENA Golf Tour Rankings from start to finish before earning a Category 12 HotelPlanner Tour card as the season’s leading player, birdied the 72nd hole to seal a one-stroke victory and finish on 22 under par for the week.
It was a nerve-shredding finale. Portugal’s Tomás Gouveia, Wood’s final group playing partner, made four consecutive birdies around the turn and added four more in his closing five holes to apply intense late pressure. But Wood held firm, playing a delicate chip on the last to set up the decisive birdie.
“It feels brilliant,” Wood said. “What a tough day. Me and Barclay [Brown] have had 36 holes of really strong golf together, we’ve pushed each other along.
“You’re never given tournaments, you have to go out and earn them and I feel like I did that. I was giving myself chances on every hole and I had two or three putts that I thought were in around the turn which was frustrating. The putts weren’t dropping for me until on 15 from around 15 feet which was deserved, and then I managed to sneak one up the last.”
Wood was visibly emotional after the round, and with good reason. Having rebuilt his career through the MENA Golf Tour – the Official World Golf Ranking-recognised circuit headquartered in the Middle East – after a well-documented battle with anxiety and burnout, the win represents the latest landmark in one of professional golf’s most compelling comeback stories.
“This win is a massive step in the right direction,” he added. “Obviously there’s a long season ahead, but this is just my first event of a long season on this tour, and it’s an amazing way to start.”
Gouveia finished in solo second with a closing 66, while Barclay Brown took third on 20 under – earning himself a place in next week’s field in Spain.
Porter adds to MENA Golf Tour’s Italian haul
Wood was not the only player with MENA Golf Tour connections to shine at Golf Nazionale. Scotsman Will Porter, a regular on the circuit throughout the 2025/26 season, finished in a tie for fourth on 18 under alongside Will Enefer, Calum Fyfe and Pedro Figueiredo.
“I didn’t really have too many expectations coming in here because I wasn’t in until very last minute, so it’s nice to play well,” Porter said. “Bit disappointed I finished three shots off in the last two holes, but yeah, it was good.
“It felt like there were maybe even more shots out there. But I played with Jhared [Hack] in the first two rounds – he shot ten under in round one – so we were just really feeding off each other. Nice lads to play with, it really helped.”
Porter also acknowledged the significance of competing alongside Wood at the top of the leaderboard.
“You’ve got Chris Wood, ex-Ryder Cup player, top of the field – nice to play with these guys. I’ve played with a lot of them on the mini tours and amateur golf. Nice to see them and just how they go about it.”
Porter confirmed he will travel to Spain for next week’s Challenge de Catalunya, with the HotelPlanner Tour heading to Fontanals Golf Club in Girona from 14-17 May.
The win moves Wood 154 places up the 2026 Road to Mallorca rankings to fifth. The MENA Golf Tour pathway – which has previously produced the likes of Robert MacIntyre, Thriston Lawrence and Matthew Fitzpatrick – continues to deliver.
