The Frenchman Clément Charmasson wrote the brightest page of his young career this Sunday by achieving his first professional victory at the Challenge de España, held this week at the Fontanals Golf course. Luis Masaveu did not have his best day, but he fought until the last hole to finish in third position.
With an impeccable performance, marked by confidence, serenity, and a maturity uncharacteristic of a debutant on the HotelPlanner Tour, Charmasson knew how to wait for his moment. Without rushing, he built his round stroke by stroke, allowing the birdies to come naturally… and he didn’t falter until the last holes where he relied on patience and the support of his team to overcome the two hurdles that could have cost him the tournament. Solid from tee to green, with an intelligent strategy and flawless execution, the French player, a member of Perelada and a regular resident in Rosas, earned the title with authority and composure, proving he has everything to continue growing on the circuit. Clement finished the tournament with 69 strokes for a total of 17 under par.
“I am proud,” he said. “It was wonderful to see my parents on the 18th green, and all the work of the last 10 years came to mind, and I couldn’t stop crying. It was wonderful to share this with them. The last time they saw me play was probably six or seven years ago because I was at university. When my ball reached the 18th green, my father shouted and made me cry immediately.” Without a category upon arriving at the Challenge de España, his life has now changed, and he will have to rethink his upcoming tournaments as he has moved to 9th in the ranking.
“Luckily, I now have a week off to sort out my emotions, and I hope to gain momentum for the rest of the season. In the first nine holes, I was quite relaxed because it didn’t matter if I was leading or not, I just wanted to stay in the fight. A couple of bad shots, like the ones I made on 14 and 15, and you are completely out. Then I thought, this is what I work hard for, and I have to go for it, seize the moment. I think I got it right this time. In the last four holes, I felt nothing. I feel like I did it more with my heart than anything else.”
He is the sixth Frenchman to win the Challenge de España, a path opened by Adrien Mork at the Centro Nacional de Golf in 2006, ten years later Adrien Saddier won in La Gomera, in 2017 Víctor Pérez at Izki Golf, and Antoine Rozner two years later, with the young Martin Couvra being the previous winner in 2023 still as an amateur, a feat achieved at Playa Serena. All of them, after winning the Challenge de España, made the leap to the DP World Tour.
The second position went to the Dane Víctor Sidal Svendsen, who was the leader on the first day of the tournament and lost positions that he regained by presenting a round of 65 strokes for 16 under par.
All eyes were on the young Luis Masaveu, who came from the LIV and added excitement until the last moment by putting himself in contention for victory. But two mistakes took him away from a title that could have been a joy at the start of the season. “It was a bit of a strange day. I made many mistakes that cost me the win, but I am happy with how I fought, how I tried, and how I recovered from the bad shots. I leave calmly because there are holes that I played exactly as I wanted. I am happy with how I worked mentally, although right now (after the bogey on the 18th hole) I don’t see it very positively. I’m sure I’ll realise it once I rest.”
A comeback was made by the German Anton Albers, who, in his first tournament on the Hotel Planner Tour, finished with a spectacular round of 10 strokes under par, the brightest card of the week, with 10 birdies and no mistakes, climbing to the 5th position with a total of 14 under par.
