Yordan Yanakiev made history as the first Bulgarian to compete in the Turkish Airlines Open – part of the DP World Tour. With this, Bulgaria officially became the 118th country represented at the highest level of professional golf.
Yordan showed confidence, consistency, and strong character against some of the best players in the world, delivering an excellent debut and proudly representing Bulgaria on this global stage.
Behind this achievement stands years of dedicated, structured, and purposeful work. A key role belongs to Stanko Marinov – Head Coach of the Bulgarian National Team – who has been by Yordan’s side in this crucial moment and has played an essential part in his long-term development.
This achievement would not have been possible without the support of The R&A Foundation. This validates their grassroots vision towards developing countries such as Bulgaria through their annual grants. Yordan’s achievement has already been shared across their social media channels, with a follow-up interview with Yordan and Stanko planned in the near future.
This participation is a clear sign that Bulgaria is now on the global golf map. It proves that the efforts of the Bulgarian Golf Association and the long-term work with the national team are producing real results and players ready for the highest level.
Congratulations to Yordan, his team, and everyone involved in this success! This is only the beginning. 💪🔥
Special thanks to Hasan Ceylan from Regnum for making this opportunity possible!
Results & leaderboard 👇
https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/turkish-airlines-open-2026/leaderboard?round=1
