Luis Masaveu is in Austria enjoying some days of rest with his family. While the rest are skiing, he is getting in shape at the gym for the start of the season. Between exercises, he finds time to speak to Ten Golf.
From the second of January, he returns to the golf course: “I would have liked to start the preseason in December, but I finished the course with neck discomfort, and it took me longer to recover than I thought. I’m much better now.”
The year for the Madrid native revolves around the Challenge Tour. He secured his rights through the Global Pathway Amateur of the DP World Tour and will focus his efforts there: “I was annoyed not to pass the European Tour School, but perhaps it’s not a bad thing to start there. I need to take it step by step, learn. The leap to the DP World Tour is very big, and who knows if this is the best way. Also, having the card takes some pressure off; I have the whole year to achieve my goals.”
When he talks about 2025 and his goals for the upcoming season, he is quite clear: “I want my first victory as a professional. Winning on the Challenge Tour and moving up to the DP World Tour are clearly my objectives. Although for that, the fundamental thing is to play well. If I achieve that, I know I have the level to win and secure one of the twenty cards.”
Surely the case of Ángel Ayora is a great example for the Madrid native. Victory and card. The two great aspirations of Masaveu are what the Andalusian achieved in 2024 in his first full year as a professional. The example is clear. His year, therefore, will start on the Challenge tour in South Africa, although he is not sure if he will debut in the first or second of the four tournaments played in the land of Mandela.
From his closure as an amateur, Masaveu has a small thorn in his side: “I would have loved to win a big tournament, like a European Individual, I was very close in the US Amateur, but I fell with Josele in the semifinals. Obviously, making the cut at the Open was spectacular, and the end of the year has been very good. I am left with the feelings of the end of the season.”
Regarding his game, Luis is clear about what he needs to strengthen for his first full season as a professional: “In the last six months, I have played very well from tee to green, I want to continue perfecting my control with the wedges, but my homework is with the putter. That’s where I lose a bit more steam. I am working on new putting routines with Jonah Oliver, my sports psychologist (and also Cameron Smith‘s). Now once I mark the ball and have decided the line, I focus solely on the strength. Before, I didn’t do it that way, and it affected my speed control. Little by little, I am feeling more comfortable.” Besides this, Jonah has given him more tasks: “Honestly, I hardly do distance control exercises, and it’s something he’s pushing me to work on a bit more,” the golfer concludes.
Masaveu knows he has the level to be there: “In the International Series of Qatar, I proved to myself that I have the talent to compete with the best. On Saturday, I was very poor on the greens and made some strategic errors, but I know I can win. On difficult days, I struggle to control the strength of the putt. It’s a mix where sometimes my technique fails, and other times it’s psychological. That’s why I’m working on it a lot.”
From his first months as a professional, he draws several lessons: “These tournaments have helped me to humanise these giants of golf a bit. On television, you only see the good shots, but live, you see them miss and make mistakes. Obviously, they are very good, especially because they know how to minimise their bad days, which is something I still struggle with, but without a doubt, I feel I can compete with them.”
Regarding his caddie, Luis has confirmed that it will be Álvaro Alonso who will accompany him on the Challenge Tour. The former caddie of Carlota Ciganda has already carried his clubs in the DP World Tour School, in the two International Series he has played, and in the LIV School: “Alvaro is super hardworking and very methodical. I really like how he does it, and he gives me a lot of confidence. If I have doubts about slopes, he helps me a lot, he confirms many things. He gives me security.”
Speaking of LIV, for now, Masaveu closes the door to that possibility: “The only option I had to play in the LIV was through the School, and I didn’t achieve it, so it’s not a possibility,” he makes clear, closing the door to a possible signing in any team of the Saudi circuit.
