The HotelPlanner Tour arrives in Spain this week for the Challenge de España, taking place at Fontanals Golf Club from May 8-11. Here’s all you need to know…
Touchdown in Europe
After eight weeks of the 29-event HotelPlanner Tour schedule, the Road to Mallorca arrives in Europe for the first time, as the Challenge de España kick-starts a run of 18 tournaments in 20 weeks on the continent. It also marks the 26th edition of the Challenge de España, with the tournament first making its debut on the HotelPlanner Tour schedule back in 1999 where home favourite Carl Suneson triumphed. Several notable names have got their hands on the storied trophy since, including the likes of five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka and DP World Tour winners Victor Perez, Matthew Baldwin and Antoine Rozner. Last year’s edition was also a memorable one, with Spaniard Joel Moscatel birdieing the last to earn a sensational victory in front of home support.
Fontanals Golf Club
Fontanals makes its debut as a HotelPlanner Tour venue and does so having been a regular stop off for DP World Tour Qualifying School. The Girona club has hosted Second Stage in each of the last two years, and will do so again later this year, with several of the players in the field this week having teed it up on the parkland layout.
The club is situated near the borders of both Andorra and France, and provides an interesting test this week as it sits 3,000 feet above sea level, with the 156-strong field needing to dial in their yardages at altitude. The closing holes will also be pivotal, with hole 16 and 18 two of the hardest of the course.
Chasing history
Renato Paratore is looking to etch his name into the record books when he tees it up in Spain this week, as he goes in search of a hattrick of wins in successive starts. Victory in the UAE Challenge last month was followed a week later by another sensational performance in the Abu Dhabi Challenge as he became the second player this season to earn back-to-back wins – following in the footsteps of South African Daniel van Tonder. The Italian now has the chance to go one better, as he bids to become the first player in HotelPlanner Tour history to win three in a row. After two outstanding performances in April, could one more follow this week?
