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From Rome to the red and black jersey, the story of Riccardo Renghi and the dream of Marin Harxhi that brought Albania a historic golf trophy

2026-08-05 18:55:47Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Riccardo Renghi and Marin Harxhi (top right, celebrating the championship title)

When talking about sports in Albania, attention almost always goes to football. But this time, a historic success comes from a discipline little known to the Albanian public. The National Golf Team has won Division B of the "European Men's Team Shield" Championship 2026, lifting a European trophy for Albania in this sport for the first time.

Behind this success lie two inspiring stories. One is that of Marin Harxhi, the man who has been fighting for 15 years to build Albanian golf, while the other is the story of Riccardo Renghi, the 20-year-old born and raised in Italy, who chose to wear the red and black jersey because of his mother's Albanian origin.

In the championship held in Malta, Albania, represented by Rigers Dalipi, Edmond Mebelli, Eytan Memeti and Riccardo Renghi, eliminated Liechtenstein with a score of 2-1 in the semi-finals and then defeated Kosovo with the same score in the final, being declared the winner of Division B.

For Riccardo Renghi, representing Albania was much more than a sporting choice. In an interview given on "Ftesë në 5" on Top Channel, Riccardo expressed his honor to be playing for Albania.

"It was an honor for me to play for Albania. I was born and raised in Italy, but my mother's Albanian origins made this choice a completely natural one, " he says.

Golf has been part of his life since he was 10 years old. Encouraged by his grandfather and father, he tried several sports, but fell in love with golf for its calmness, discipline and constant contact with nature. At the age of 14, he started playing for a team in Rome, and two years later he was transferred to one of the strongest teams in Italy. It was during that period that the invitation to join the Albanian National Team also came.

"Golf gives you the opportunity to travel all over Europe and constantly challenge yourself. It's a unique sport and every competition teaches you something new, " he says.

On the other side is Marin Harxhi, the man who has been trying to make golf a reality in Albania for more than a decade and a half.

"It's been 15 years since we founded the Albanian Golf Federation. It's been a colossal job, but our dream has not yet been fully realized, because Albania still doesn't have a golf course," says Harxhi.

His passion for the sport was born by chance, thanks to a Scottish tourist who taught him the first steps of golf. Later, experiences in Scotland and Antalya, Turkey convinced him that Albania also had the potential to develop this discipline.

"When I saw the golf culture abroad, I thought that Albania also deserved such a sport. Since then, I worked only for this dream."

Today, the Albanian Golf Federation has around 50 members and continues to grow every year, although the lack of an official course remains the biggest obstacle.

For Harxhi, golf is not just a sport.

"Golf creates a spiritual connection with man. Whoever knows this sport finds it difficult to leave it."

The triumph in Malta is the clearest proof that Albanian golf has begun to produce results in the international arena. Now, after the medals and the trophy, the biggest challenge remains the construction of the first golf course in Albania, a dream that Marin Harxhi has been pursuing for decades and that the new generation, with Riccardo Renghi at the helm, hopes to see realized.

 


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