Spain’s Pablo Martin, who created history last year by becoming the first amateur to win on The European Tour, returns to the scene of his finest golfing moment when he defends the Estoril Open de Portugal at Oitavos Dunes, Estoril, this week.
Martin bids to emulate England’s Paul Broadhurst, who won the title in 2005 and went on to make a successful defence 12 months later. This time, however, the 21 year old from Malaga intends being paid for his labours rather than simply holding the silverware.
Martin tied for 25th in the MAPFRE Open de Andalucia by Valle Romano just along the coast in Marbella last weekend to fine-tune his game for an eagerly-awaited title defence.
He has fond memories of that extraordinary week when he turned the world of professional golf upside down and recalled: “It was unbelievable. It really changed my life and opened so many doors.
“I’m looking forward to going back. I talked to my dad and brother and they went to Oitavos recently for an amateur tournament and they were telling me the course is in good shape. It is a great place to go.
“I am planning on spending some time down there after the tournament as they have a great beach and I like surfing, so I said to my caddie if I play well we will hang around there.”
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