Staff WriterIf you’re looking for the next young pro to arrive early and stay late, keep a close eye on Pablo Ereno at the NTT DATA Pro-Am this week at Fancourt Golf Estate. The Spaniard has wandered into the HotelPlanner Tour’s South African swing like he owns the place—two invites, two strong finishes—and now he’s staring down the third of four co-sanctioned events between the HotelPlanner Tour and Sunshine Tour with the swagger of a man who’s found his sea legs on the Road to Mallorca.
Ereno, 22, has opened his 2026 season with a tidy 22nd at the SDC Open and then a proper knock at the door in a tie for fourth at last week’s CIRCA Cape Town Open, finishing just two shots behind winner Will Enefer. Not bad for a player who only turned professional last June after time in the American collegiate system, and who is still learning which end of the tour truck has the free coffee.
“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.”
A taste of the final group — and a craving for more
Last week at Royal Cape Golf Club, Ereno did something young pros either love or loathe: he put himself right where the oxygen gets thin. He played in the final group alongside home favourite Trevor Fisher Jnr during Saturday’s third round and carried himself like he belonged there, eventually signing for 12-under-par and a top-five finish.
The Sunday charge didn’t materialise—he closed with a level-par final round—but the bigger point was simple: he got a proper look at contention and left wanting seconds.
“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.”
That’s the truth every rookie carries around in the staff bag: talent in one pocket, doubt in the other, and the wind in your face deciding which one comes out on the 72nd hole.
Spain’s next wave — and the friendly arms race
Ereno isn’t short of company. Spanish golf has been producing young pros like a factory line lately, and he’s keen to follow recent HotelPlanner Tour graduates Angel Ayora and Rocco Repetto Taylor up the ladder.
“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.”
There’s a particular edge to that kind of rivalry—the one where you’re mates, you’re measuring yourself, and you’re quietly trying to nick a march at every turn. It’s less “good luck” and more “I’ll see you at the top… if I don’t get there first.”
A stacked field arrives in George
The NTT DATA Pro-Am is never short of star power, and this week’s field has proper teeth. DP World Tour winners Eddie Pepperell and Matthew Baldwin are in the mix, along with current Road to Mallorca Number One MJ Viljoen—exactly the sort of standard-bearer a young contender wants nearby, because it tells you what “normal” looks like when you’re trying to become it.
And then there’s the local legend: former World Number One and four-time Major winner Ernie Els, back in the men’s field in George and set to play alongside his nephew Jovan Rebula during Saturday’s third round on the Montagu course. Els will make his first appearance at the event since 2020, which is the sporting equivalent of the big oak tree in the garden reminding everyone it’s still there.
Tee times and what to watch
The first round of the NTT DATA Pro-Am begins at 06:45 local time on Thursday, with Ereno teeing off at 11:53 on the Outeniqua course alongside South Africa’s Merrick Bremner. Three courses, three different asks, and not much time for tourists to play like tourists.
If Ereno’s early-season form is any clue, he won’t be sightseeing. He’ll be trying to do what every fast-start rookie wants to do: turn “nice story” into “real problem for the field” — and keep his name where it’s been living lately, right up near the top of the leaderboard at the NTT DATA Pro-Am.
