Three holes to go and he can no longer resist the temptation… and the need. He needs to know where he stands in the tournament. He takes out his phone and taps the live scoring button. It’s the final day of the NCAA Nationals and his immediate future is hanging by a thread. One more stroke or less and the difference is playing next week in the Korn Ferry Tour, the gateway to the PGA Tour, or the PGA Tour Americas, the third division. The difference is significant. He needs to know.
He’s in fourth place with holes 7, 8, and 9 remaining. Things look good, but it’s not definitive. On the other side, they finish with a par 5, so to stay there, he needs to make one more birdie. Cool head and warm heart. He doesn’t want to act recklessly because the Omni Resort La Costa in San Diego is treacherous. He repeats to himself, “You need to make a birdie, yes, but follow the plan.”
His extraordinary discipline is quickly rewarded. On hole 7, a bonus arrives. He sinks a 10-metre birdie putt. It was between clubs. The aggressive shot to the flag that could go long was the 9-iron. The logical choice was the pitching wedge. He opts for the latter. Reward. There’s the birdie, although the job isn’t finished. Holes 8 and 9 aren’t easy.
The 8th is a par 3. He aims for the centre of the green and two putts. One step closer. The 9th remains. It won’t be easy. The ball, capricious, doesn’t end up on the fairway, although it seemed so from the tee. It’s just in the rough, enough to cause doubt. The risk is it comes out as a flyer. The flag is long. Indeed, the ball comes out lively and goes past. He leaves himself a tricky return chip. Not ideal when you know everything is at stake. He executes it perfectly. A work of art. He almost holes it, leaving it next to the hole. Par given. No suffering. Glory. Korn Ferry card in the pocket.
This story belongs forever to Pablo Ereño. And it has great merit. The Madrid golfer from UCLA closed his university chapter in such a brilliant way. He still has final exams in two weeks and will play the Palmer Cup, but his sporting accounts with the uni are more than settled. From now on, an exciting world opens up for him. It’s the professional stage, but with splendid opportunities. The ones he has earned.
The most immediate will be playing this Monday’s US Open qualifier at Oakmont in Valencia, California. Then, he will compete in the aforementioned Palmer Cup and immediately after will be the US Open, if he qualifies, or the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open of the Korn Ferry. Thus, his absolute debut in a professional tournament will be either at the US Open or in Kansas. Ereño hasn’t had the opportunity to play any tournament as a pro during his amateur stage. Things happen that seem inexplicable from the outside.
Pablo Ereño was born on the same day as Tiger Woods (30 December), although 28 years later. “And the same as Lebron James,” he quickly clarifies to Ten Golf during the conversation. As references go, they’re not bad at all, especially for someone who has fully immersed himself in the culture of California and Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, he lives halfway between Bel-Air and Beverly Hills. A few days ago, for example, he went to play golf and met J.J. Redick, the Lakers coach. They talked for a good while about Luka Doncic. These are things that happen in Hollywood.
In any case, Pablo has his feet firmly on the ground and knows exactly what he wants. “I’m going to play the eight tournaments I have on the Korn Ferry Tour (I’m in all of them). The first goal is to maintain playing rights for next year. For that, I need to finish at least in the top 100 (although finishing in the top 75 is even better, securing a better card). The next step would be to finish in the top 25 to get the PGA Tour card, although I know that’s very difficult because I’m at a disadvantage compared to the rest who have been playing all season,” he points out. If he doesn’t get the PGA Tour card, he’ll attend the school. Depending on how he finishes in the Korn Ferry, he’ll go straight to the final or have to play the second stage. Additionally, he’d be delighted to play as much as he can on the DP World Tour. He’ll need invitations. “This has been a very beautiful stage in my life, but I’m really someone very family-oriented and I like being close to my loved ones. I’ve missed them in these four years and my idea is to return to Spain and Europe, so I want the DP World Tour to be important in my life,” he states.
The tension of the NCAA Final could be cut with a knife. That’s why Ereño has no qualms in admitting that when it was all over and he realised he had achieved it, he couldn’t hold back the tears. “I’m not quite sure what happened to me, but it was something natural. It just came out. They were tears of pride and relief. Also, surely there was some tension, fatigue, the happiness that my father came to see me and was with me all week, as well as my teammates who didn’t make the cut and followed me all the time… They were also tears for a stage that is closing and that has been beautiful and very important,” he explains.
In this regard, Ereño is very clear about how his four years at UCLA have been. “The best way to define them would be personal and professional growth. I came here at 17 and barely knew how to speak English. I’ve improved a lot as a person, I relate better, I’m more mature. Also, on the golf course, I’ve grown a lot. I know myself better and manage to adapt to what’s needed,” he notes.
Throughout this stage, there are two people who have marked him above all, beyond, of course, friends and family. One is Armen Kirakossian, his head coach at UCLA since his second year. Of Armenian origin and from Arizona State, where he served as an assistant. “He has changed my life quite a bit. He always told me I was a good player. He trusted me a lot, and when that comes from someone who knows a lot and has coached players like Theegala or Kevin Yu, it helps a lot. He always told me I lacked a short game to be top, especially the bump and run. Funny enough, it’s probably the easiest one there is, but I was very bad at it. Now I think I have a good short game. In the Nationals, it was key, for example,” he states.
The other person is Ana Palomo, his psychologist. She was a professional swimmer and participated in the Sydney and Athens Olympics. “She has also changed my life, and not just in golf. She has taught me to know myself better, to know who I am, what I like, what makes me happy. Since I’ve been with her, I see myself being me on the golf course, and I think that shines through in the game,” he concludes.
Pablo is currently ranked twelfth in the world amateur ranking, although the results of the Nationals have not yet been updated. We’ll see if he ends his stage even among the top ten in the world. It would be his best position. It would be finishing at the top. Pablo Ereño now begins a new life, and it certainly seems he’s doing so at the best possible moment.
