Pablo Ereno is looking to continue his impressive start to life as a professional at this week’s NTT DATA Pro-Am brought to you by Standard Bank at Fancourt Golf Estate, the third of four co-sanctioned events between the HotelPlanner Tour and Sunshine Tour.
The Spaniard, who relied on invites into the first two events of the year, has made a fast start to the 2026 season, finishing 22nd at the SDC Open and in a tie for fourth at last week’s CIRCA Cape Town Open, two shots back from eventual winner Will Enefer. The 22-year-old, who turned professional last June having played collegiate golf in America, is enjoying his time in the Rainbow Nation and teeing it up on the Road to Mallorca for the first time.
“It’s my first time playing HotelPlanner tour events,” he said. “It’s been great, I’ve liked it so far.
“South Africa's been really cool. The weather's awesome, a lot better than it is in Madrid right now, which is pretty cold. But yeah, it's been fun.
“This week is over three courses, which requires three different practice rounds, so I've been just trying to get a little help from the older guys that have been out here for a little while.”
Ereno was part of the final group alongside home favourite Trevor Fisher Jnr during the third round at Royal Cape Golf Club before eventually ending the week on 12 under par and inside the top five.
Despite a level par final round curtailing his chances of victory, the Spaniard was delighted to contend at the top of the leaderboard.
“It was super exciting playing in the last group on Saturday; it was really cool,” he added.
“There was a lot of support for Trevor, which makes sense, as he is South African. I ended up being two shots short, but I liked it a lot and I want to do it again.
“It was a confidence boost to see that all the work I've been putting in has been paying off. It's shown me that I can compete with the pros. I've only been a pro for six or seven months, so you obviously have doubts whether you're going to be good enough.”
Ereno joins an exciting pool of young Spanish golfers in the professional game, with the 22-year-old eager to follow in the footsteps of recent HotelPlanner Tour graduates from the country, including Angel Ayora and Rocco Repetto Taylor.
“We have really good golfers from Spain that could do great things and win majors and be up there in the world rankings,” he said. “I’ve been competing with those guys since we were young.”
“I think that's helped us boost each other to be able to play well and be in the position we're in right now. It's a motivation. I'm practising hard to get to where they are right now.” Ereno is part of a strong field at this week’s NTT DATA Pro-Am brought to you by Standard Bank, which includes DP World Tour winners Eddie Pepperell and Matthew Baldwin, four-time Major winner Ernie Els and current Road to Mallorca Number One MJ Viljoen.
