South African secures maiden HotelPlanner Tour title at Isla Canela while Spain’s Pablo Ereño records another Top-10 finish to strengthen his promotion bid

South Africa’s Ryan Van Velzen claimed his first HotelPlanner Tour victory after winning the 27th edition of the Challenge de España at Isla Canela Golf Links, one of the most historic and prestigious events on the circuit. Meanwhile, Spain’s Pablo Ereño produced another impressive performance to finish tied seventh and retain second place in the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings.

Van Velzen captures first HotelPlanner Tour title

The final round at Isla Canela was played in challenging conditions, with strong winds sweeping across the links course and making scoring significantly tougher than in previous days. The demanding weather created constant movement on the leaderboard, with several players holding or challenging for the lead throughout the day.

Starting the final round at the top of the leaderboard, Van Velzen faced an early setback despite opening with a birdie. Three bogeys over his next four holes briefly dropped him back into the pack, but the South African showed remarkable composure to regain control of the tournament.

Four crucial birdies during the remainder of his round allowed him to post a closing 69 and finish at 17-under-par, following earlier rounds of 64, 71 and 63.

The victory makes Van Velzen the first South African player to win the Challenge de España and marks a major breakthrough in his professional career.

“It was incredible. The start was very difficult because the wind was completely different from the previous days and it took time to adapt. After that, I focused on creating birdie opportunities and managed to take advantage of them. Winning is never easy, especially over the closing holes when the pressure is at its highest. My goal is to earn a DP World Tour card, and this victory is a huge step in that direction.”

The win moves Van Velzen up 20 places in the Road to Mallorca standings, where he now sits fourth.

Dutchman Will Besseling and American Dan Erickson shared second place, while Portugal’s Pedro Figueiredo finished fourth to climb into the top ten of the season rankings.

Ereño strengthens promotion hopes with another Top-10 finish

Spain’s Pablo Ereño once again demonstrated why he is one of the standout performers of the season. The ProSpain Team member battled until the final hole, where he birdied the 18th to secure a closing round of 70 and a tournament total of 11-under-par.

His seventh-place finish keeps him firmly in second place on the Road to Mallorca and reinforces his position as one of the leading contenders for promotion to the DP World Tour.

“I gave everything out there today, but things didn’t quite go my way. I started well, but a couple of costly bogeys made things difficult. Still, I’m proud that I kept fighting until the very end and managed to finish inside the top ten. Every point counts at this stage of the season.”

Isla Canela delivers another memorable Challenge de España

The links layout at Isla Canela once again proved to be a worthy host for one of the HotelPlanner Tour’s flagship events. Wind, strategy and patience played a decisive role throughout the week, highlighting the unique challenge presented by one of Spain’s most distinctive golf courses.

The trophy presentation was attended by Jaime Salaverri, Vice President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation and Chairman of the Professional Committee, Marco Colomer, President of Isla Canela, Gaia Zonchello, HotelPlanner Tour Director, and Javier Gervás, CEO of JGolf.

With another successful edition completed, the Challenge de España continues to reinforce its reputation as one of the key tournaments on the HotelPlanner Tour calendar and a proven stepping stone for future stars of European golf.