May 17, 2026 – Pablo Ereño is officially a winner on the HotelPlanner Tour. And he did it in the most spectacular fashion possible. The Spaniard captured the Challenge de Catalunya at Fontanals Golf after a thrilling playoff against Denmark’s Hamish Brown, capping off an unforgettable week that could mark a turning point in his professional career.

With only a few months as a professional, Ereño secured the first title of his career after prevailing in a two-hole playoff following a tie at 22-under-par. It was a victory of enormous sporting and strategic importance: the win virtually secures his category for the rest of the season and opens the door wide to a serious push towards the DP World Tour.

The final round delivered everything it had promised. Fontanals Golf witnessed a dramatic Sunday filled with constant lead changes and a true birdie-fest between two players refusing to give an inch.

Hamish Brown began the day with a two-shot lead, but the leaderboard tightened almost immediately. Every birdie was answered by the other player in a spectacular duel that turned the back nine into a battle of the highest level.

Ereño signed for a brilliant 66 (-5), while the Dane posted a 68 (-3). But the defining moment came at the 18th hole.

The Spaniard needed to hole a birdie putt from nearly four metres to force a playoff. Brown, meanwhile, had an eight-metre birdie attempt to win the tournament outright. Ereño made his. Brown missed. And Fontanals erupted.

In the playoff, both players birdied the first extra hole. On the second, Ereño held his nerve with a solid par while Brown made bogey. That was the moment the first professional title of one of Spanish golf’s brightest new stars officially became reality.

“Patience was the key”

Far from being an easy victory, the win came after a mentally exhausting day for the Spaniard.

“There were some really difficult moments,” admitted Ereño. “After the 8th hole, where I made a four-putt bogey, I felt like I had to come from behind all over again. I don’t know why, but it seems like I enjoy making things difficult for myself.”

His response was immediate: four consecutive birdies to throw himself right back into contention.

At one point, he even thought the tournament had slipped away after a poor tee shot on the 15th.

“That’s when I thought maybe I was out of it. But then I told myself I needed a couple more birdies to get into a playoff… and in the end I did it.” 

“Patience and fighting spirit were the keys today,” he explained. “I hit some bad shots and some really good ones. I hit a wedge into the water on 14, but I managed to stay calm.”

The champion also highlighted the emotional significance of the birdie putt he holed on the 18th.

“That birdie is what you practise for. To have that putt on the final hole and be able to make it.”

A victory that changes everything

Beyond the trophy, Ereño fully understands what this win means for his future.

“This victory changes everything for me,” he admitted. “It allows me to play the rest of the year with much more peace of mind because I still didn’t have full status.”

Thanks to the victory in Fontanals, Ereño also climbs to second place in the Road to Mallorca rankings, behind only South Africa’s MJ Daffue, the only two-time winner on the HotelPlanner Tour this season. With only a few months as a professional, the Spaniard has gone from being one of the breakout players of the year to one of the leading contenders for promotion to the DP World Tour.

Ereño also dedicated the win to those closest to him.

“It means so much having my father and my family here. I don’t feel like I’m playing only for myself — I’m also playing for them, and this victory is dedicated to them.”

Daffue falls just short

Another major protagonist on Sunday was MJ Daffue. The South African, current No. 1 in the HotelPlanner Tour rankings and already a two-time winner this season, produced a flawless round with eight birdies to finish third at 20-under-par.

Daffue was chasing his third win of the season, which would have secured automatic promotion to the DP World Tour. He will now have another opportunity next week in Denmark or at the Challenge de España at Isla Canela.

The trophy ceremony was attended by Ramón Puyol, President of Fontanals Golf Club; Ramón Nogué, President of the Catalan Golf Federation; Federico Páez, Tournament Director of the Challenge de Catalunya; and Alfonso Casamajó, Representative of the Girona Provincial Council.

The Challenge de Catalunya was 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.