May 13, 2026 – The Challenge de Catalunya at Fontanals Golf is much more than the seventh event of the HotelPlanner Tour season and the first to be played in Spain. It is a meeting point for stories—of effort, setbacks, and second chances.

At Fontanals Golf, two realities coexist: young players trying to break into professional golf and those who have already reached the top and are fighting to return. A stage where every shot can change a career.

Each player has their own journey, but they all share the same ambition: to compete and improve. There are two ways to approach the Challenge de Catalunya. The first is obvious: a showcase for future European stars. The second, more real: the place where those who have already been at the top come back to rebuild. Because the HotelPlanner Tour is not only a pathway to the DP World Tour – it is also the road back.

Chris Wood, the perfect example

Few stories illustrate this reality better than that of England’s Chris Wood.

A three-time DP World Tour winner, Major participant, and member of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team, Wood reached the highest level of world golf. However, like many others, he lost his playing rights after struggling with the pressure.

Instead of giving up, he has returned to the HotelPlanner Tour from the bottom, via the Mena Tour, with a clear goal: to rediscover his best form. He has already taken a major step forward, winning last week’s Challenge of Italy and putting himself back on track toward the elite.

His story is not unique. The Challenge de Catalunya features up to seven players who have won on the DP World Tour, highlighting the high level of competition.

Among them is Scotland’s Marc Warren, a four-time DP World Tour winner and long-time presence in elite European golf.

He has competed in Major championships and recorded standout performances, including two top-20 finishes at the U.S. Open. Warren embodies the full journey of a professional golfer: rising, establishing himself, and reinventing himself.

Players such as Julien Quesne, Fabrizio Zanotti, Yannik Paul, Maximilian Kieffer, Nick Bachem and Steven Brown also bring top-level experience and are now rebuilding their careers.

Losing a DP World Tour card is not just a sporting setback—it is also a mental, financial, and personal challenge. Returning to the HotelPlanner Tour means accepting reality, rebuilding, and competing week after week with the same ambition.

Spanish players looking to bounce back

Among the Spanish players, several names reflect this rollercoaster of professional golf.

One of them is Santiago Tarrío, a key figure in Spanish golf in recent years. After his rise through the Challenge Tour and his experience on the DP World Tour, he returns with the goal of regaining his best form.

Players such as Lucas Vacarisas, Joel Moscatel, Alfredo García-Heredia and Borja Virto are on a similar path, bringing experience from the top level and aiming to return.

Others include Carlos Pigem, with an international career, and Antonio Hortal, winner of the 2014 Challenge de Catalunya.

More than a tournament, a turning point

The mix of players trying to return and others trying to rise makes the Challenge de Catalunya much more than just another event. Here, it’s not only about moving up—it’s about coming back.

In a sport where everything seems controlled, the HotelPlanner Tour shows the true face of golf: constant travel, pressure to keep a tour card, and weeks decided by a single shot.

That is why the Challenge de Catalunya is both a gateway… and a second chance.

The Pro-Am takes place on Wednesday, featuring 23 teams made up of two professionals and three amateurs. The professional competition will begin on Thursday, with 155 players competing for the title.

The Challenge de Catalunya is supported by the HotelPlanner Tour, Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Fontanals Golf Club, Catalan Golf Federation and Spanish Sports Council, as well as Allianz, AON, Girona Provincial Council, Fontanals City Council, Ríos Renovables, BCD Group, Kyocera, Volvo, Bodegas Juan Gil, Mahou, Solán de Cabras, Revel and Titleist, under the organization of JGolf.

Photo: Chris Wood (Getty Images / HotelPlanner Tour)