Less than a year ago, Pablo Ereño turned professional. This week, at the Challenge de Catalunya starting tomorrow at Fontanals Golf, he will compete alongside DP World Tour winners, players with Major championship experience and even Ryder Cup veterans. And he will do so on equal terms, fighting for the same goal while confirming the meteoric rise of one of the biggest breakthroughs in Spanish golf.
With only a few months as a professional, the Madrid-born player has already become one of the standout names on the HotelPlanner Tour, the pathway to the DP World Tour. His performances in South Africa —4th in Cape Town and 3rd in Durban— have propelled him into the Top 15 of the rankings, confirming the enormous potential of a player who is still taking his first steps in professional golf.
These achievements become even more impressive when considering the context: Ereño turned professional in June 2025, immediately after completing his college career at UCLA, one of the major powerhouses of NCAA golf in the United States. There, he developed competing at the highest collegiate level before making his professional debut on the Korn Ferry Tour, the gateway to the PGA Tour.
The transition was not easy.
“It was tough. You go from being surrounded by teammates every day at university to travelling alone, sleeping alone in hotels and facing the professional circuit almost from scratch,” admits Ereño.
That experience, however, quickly became an accelerated lesson in what being a professional truly means.
“Tournament weeks are much longer and you have to learn how to plan everything better: travel, rest, practice…,” he explains. “The United States taught me a lot about how to behave as a professional.”
After that stage, Ereño decided to return to Spain looking for something he had missed: closeness. “After four years away from home, I wanted to come back and be closer to my friends and family,” he says. “I value that a lot and I think it really helps me.”
At that moment, a key support system appeared in his career: the ProSpain Team of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation.
“I honestly wouldn’t be here without them right now,” he says emphatically. “My category on the HotelPlanner Tour was very low and thanks to ProSpain I’ve been able to play these tournaments and have the opportunity to prove my level.”
The federation programme gave him access to crucial tournaments in South Africa… and Ereño immediately took advantage of the opportunity.
But beyond the results, the young Spaniard is also standing out for the natural way in which he is adapting to competing alongside far more experienced players. In just a few months he has already shared tournaments and conversations with some of the biggest figures in Spanish golf. One of the moments that impacted him the most was his first encounter with Rafa Cabrera Bello on the DP World Tour.
“My first week in Scotland I was going to lunch and suddenly Rafa Cabrera Bello came over to talk to me,” Ereño recalls. “He said: ‘Hi, I’m Rafa, if you need anything I’d love to help.’ And I was thinking: ‘I know exactly who you are — you’re a legend of Spanish golf!’”
The gesture left a huge impression on him.
“I had lunch with him a couple of times and I felt really welcomed,” he explains. “When someone who has played in the Ryder Cup treats you like that when you’ve just arrived on Tour… honestly, it impressed me a lot.”
He also treasures his experience with José María Olazábal during ProSpain Team training camps. “Spending a few days with Chema Olazábal was incredible,” he admits. “Being able to listen to him and learn from him is a dream.”
Raised at Spain’s National Golf Centre from a very young age, Ereño also represents a new generation of Spanish golfers developed within highly professionalised systems. “At university they prepared us to become professional golfers.”
On the course, he describes himself as an “aggressive but intelligent” player, particularly strong with the driver and irons. However, he believes his main weakness lies on the greens. “My biggest strength is patience,” he explains. “There are weeks when you play really well and the putts just don’t drop, but you have to stay there, remain consistent and trust yourself.”
At just 22 years old and with less than a year as a professional, Pablo Ereño is already making his way among Europe’s emerging elite. And in Catalunya he will have another opportunity to prove that the future of Spanish golf is already here. Little by little, he is also starting to believe even more in himself. “I’ve realised that I’m actually pretty good at this.”
This week, at the Challenge de Catalunya, he will have another chance to prove it. At Fontanals Golf he will share the stage with some of the most established names in European golf. Ereño is no longer just a guest — neither because of his results nor because of his mentality.
Challenge de Catalunya ProAm
Today, the ProAm preceding the tournament took place, with victory going to the amateur team formed by Lali Cabani, Rosvi Moix and Ferrán Lemos, who played the first nine holes with Albert Boneta and the second nine with Daan Huizing.
Tomorrow Thursday, from 8:00am onwards, the professional competition of the Challenge de Catalunya will begin at Fontanals Golf; the final groups will tee off at 3:15pm. Pablo Ereño, currently the highest-ranked Spanish player on the HotelPlanner Tour, will tee off from the 1st hole at 1:45pm.
The Challenge de Catalunya is supported by the HotelPlanner Tour, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Fontanals Golf Club, the Catalan Golf Federation and the Spanish Sports Council, as well as Allianz, AON, Girona Provincial Council, Fontanals Town Hall, Ríos Renovables, BCD Group, Kyocera, Volvo, Bodegas Juan Gil, Mahou, Solán de Cabras, Revel and Titleist, under the organisation of JGolf.
