The opening day of the 2026 Spider vs Tiger Tour delivered exactly what everyone hoped for: chaos, collapses, unexpected quality golf, fragile bodies, and several middle-aged men already...
The opening day of the 2026 Spider vs Tiger Tour delivered exactly what everyone hoped for: chaos, collapses, unexpected quality golf, fragile bodies, and several middle-aged men already looking emotionally exhausted before Round 2 has even begun.
After a heavy Sunday arrival involving early airport beers, questionable decision making, and “just one more” becoming a recurring phrase across Vilamoura, both teams somehow dragged themselves onto the first tee at Pinhal for the opening battle.
And despite the visible damage from the previous night’s activities, the opening day finished perfectly balanced at 2–2.
GROUP 1
Mark Neighbour & Glyn Broome vs Simon Harris & Richard Ashby
Match Result: Halved
This one produced the biggest collapse of the day.
At one stage, Simon Harris and Richard Ashby genuinely believed the match was over. Hands were physically shaken. The Tigers thought the point was secured and the celebrations had already started.
Mark Neighbour and debutant Glyn Broome somehow clawed their way back into the match late on, flipping momentum completely and stunning the Tiger pairing as the “won” match slowly unravelled in front of them.
By the final hole, the Tigers had gone from celebrating victory to desperately hanging on for a half.
Ashby, however, deserves enormous credit. In a shocking development for seasoned tour veterans, his golf game actually turned up this year. Calm off the tee and composed around the greens, it was arguably his strongest tour performance in years.
Simon, meanwhile, was left trying to process how a match involving actual handshakes somehow ended without a win.
An instant Spider vs Tiger classic.
GROUP 2
Alan Obern & Cath Levell vs Jon Mackness & Rick Turner
Match Result: Halved
A tense and scrappy affair that never truly allowed either side to pull away.
Debutants Cath Levell and Jon Mackness both handled the occasion brilliantly, while Alan Obern made a hugely anticipated tour debut of his own, immediately bringing trademark tension, competitiveness, and psychological warfare to the contest.
The key moment came late on when Jon Mackness stood over a crucial putt to finally defeat Alan Obern — a feat he had never previously achieved.
The Tiger camp held its breath.
The Spider camp sensed panic.
Then… the putt slid by.
Instead of claiming victory, Mackers could only halve the hole and secure a half in the match, meaning Obie’s undefeated psychological hold over him somehow survives another day.
A huge sigh of relief was reportedly heard from the Spider side of the clubhouse.
GROUP 3
Dave Cunningham & Greg Ticehurst vs Barry Tucker & Nick Gumm
Match Result: Tigers win 2&1
The Tigers finally landed a proper punch here.
Tour debutant Barry Tucker was sensational from start to finish, producing one of the standout performances of the day and dragging the Tigers to a huge 2&1 victory alongside Nick Gumm.
Baz looked completely unfazed by the occasion, striping drives, rolling putts in confidently, and immediately establishing himself as a serious contender for the individual title.
Nick Gumm provided the energy, noise, and occasional golf shot required to support the charge, celebrating every Tiger success like he’d personally won the Ryder Cup.
A massive point for the orange side.
FINAL GROUP
Jason Sykes & Sam Harris vs Paul Ticehurst & Richard Frayne
Match Result: Spiders win 2 up
The marquee match delivered elite drama right until the closing holes.
Spider captain Jason Sykes arrived fresh into Day One with no pre-tour hangover distractions after travelling in on the morning flight — unlike much of the rest of the field, who looked like they’d spent the night trapped inside an airport Wetherspoons.
Alongside Sam Harris, Jason edged out Tiger captain Paul Ticehurst and Richard Frayne in a tightly fought contest full of momentum swings and quality golf.
Sam contributed heavily to course maintenance operations throughout the round, removing several healthy sections of Pinhal turf along the way, while Jason produced enough steady golf to carry the pair home late on.
Paul Ticehurst quietly pieced together an excellent individual round despite the defeat, while Frayne showed moments of class throughout.
A huge closing point for the Spiders.
INDIVIDUAL STABLEFORD STANDINGS — DAY ONE
While the team battle finished level, the individual leaderboard already has a clear early pace setter.
🥇 Jason Sykes — 39 pts (£80)
A captain’s performance.
Fresh off the morning flight and clearly unaffected by the chaos of the previous evening, Jason produced a composed and clinical round to lead the field after Day One.
Solid from tee to green and lethal when it mattered.
🥈 Barry Tucker — 34 pts (£40)
An outstanding tour debut.
Baz arrived in Portugal and immediately started firing at flags, carrying Tiger momentum for much of the afternoon and putting himself firmly into contention heading into Round 2.
🥉 Paul Ticehurst — 33 pts (£35)
The Tiger captain may have lost the match, but individually he remains right in the hunt after a very tidy opening round.
Consistent. Experienced. Dangerous.
Other notable scores
- Richard Ashby — 32 pts
- Nick Gumm — 31 pts
- Alan Obern — 30 pts
- Dave Cunningham — 29 pts
- Mark Neighbour — 29 pts
- Greg Ticehurst — 28 pts
- Glyn Broome — 28 pts
- Jon Mackness — 28 pts
At the other end of the leaderboard, Sam Harris bravely recorded 8 points while simultaneously attempting to redesign parts of Pinhal’s fairways with his irons.
NOTABLE DEBUT APPEARANCES
Several first-time tour players made immediate impacts on Day One:
- Barry Tucker — outstanding all-round performance and early contender
- Jon Mackness — pushed Obie all the way in a tense battle
- Cath Levell — composed debut under pressure
- Glyn Broome — instrumental in the Spider comeback in Group 1
- Alan Obern — long-awaited debut packed with intensity, mind games, and trademark competitiveness
All five looked right at home in the chaos.
NEAREST THE PIN
🏌️ Jason Sykes
Because apparently leading the individual standings and winning the team match wasn’t enough.
DAY ONE SUMMARY
- Overall team score locked at 2–2
- Tigers literally shook hands thinking Group 1 was won
- Baz announces himself in style
- Ashby’s golf game unexpectedly appears in Portugal
- Obie somehow still unbeaten against Mackers
- Several players already physically deteriorating
- Fragile heads everywhere
And with Millennium next on the schedule…
the battle is only just beginning.