Staff WriterFontanals Golf Club witnessed a moment to savour when Clement Charmasson held his nerve over the final holes to claim a first-ever HotelPlanner Tour title at the Challenge de España.
Clement Charmasson, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of family and friends, signed off with a nerveless 69, wrapping up a tournament-best 17 under par total and edging out Denmark’s Victor Sidal Svendsen by a single stroke.
A Nerve-Wracking Finale in Girona
The Frenchman’s performance was built on rock-solid consistency: opening rounds of 65, 67 and 66 set the stage, and despite a tricky closing stretch, he refused to buckle under pressure.
With a one-shot lead overnight, Charmasson cruised through the front nine of his final round, only dropping birdies where it mattered and conserving energy for a dramatic back nine.
“I’m just proud,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Seeing my parents on the side of the 18th green, and all the work for the last 10 years, it’s so fun that I can get to share this with them.
“The last time my friends or my parents saw me play was probably six or seven years ago because I was in college.
“When my ball landed on the green on 18, my dad just screamed, and it made me cry right away.
“It’s good that I have a week off now to get my emotions straight and hopefully I can build some momentum for the rest of the season.”
That week off may be well deserved: after a flawless run to the turn—three birdies in four holes from the sixth saw him jump three strokes clear—Charmasson found himself four ahead after a birdie at the par-five 13th.
Yet a pair of dropped shots at 14 and 15, combined with Svendsen’s relentless charge, cut the margin to one with two to play.
Breakthrough Performance
The climax felt like golf theatre. Clement Charmasson, with a four-shot buffer dwindling and Svendsen lurking like a shark in the water, simply steadied the ship.
Two pars later, he could exhale, fist-pump, and soak in the applause that echoed around Fontanals.
“I have a rule that I keep saying, to get in contention on the back nine,” Charmasson explained. “On the front nine I felt very relaxed because it didn’t matter if I was leading or not, I just wanted to be in the mix.
“A couple of bad shots and it gets you away from that. Then I thought, this position is what I work for and to go for it, take the moment. I guess I got it right this time.
“The last four holes, I couldn’t feel anything. I feel like I did it more with my heart than anything else.”
The win vaults the 26-year-old from obscurity into the top ten of the Road to Mallorca Rankings—an astonishing leap of 108 places to ninth—and marks a landmark moment in a career that’s only just finding its stride on the HotelPlanner Tour.
The Competition Behind the Champion
While Charmasson celebrated, a host of contenders also showcased their own talents.
Spaniard Luis Masaveu and Scotsman Euan Walker tied for third on 15 under, with German powerhouse Anton Albers firing a blistering 61 on the final day—the tournament’s round-of-the-week.
Fellow Germans Hurly Long and Swiss Benjamin Rusch weren’t far behind, all making strong cases for future titles.
Meanwhile, the Road to Mallorca standings—where only the top four earn coveted spots in the season finale—remained largely unchanged.
South African Daniel van Tonder retained pole position, Spaniard Quim Vidal cracked the top five, and Svendsen celebrated his first top-ten finish of the campaign by rising to eighth.
Looking Ahead: Danish Golf Challenge Beckons
With the Girona dust barely settled, the HotelPlanner Tour caravan packs up for Denmark. From May 22–25 at Bogense Golf Club, the Danish Golf Challenge awaits—where new chapters will be written and existing storylines furthered.
Will Clement Charmasson carry his Girona momentum into Scandinavia, or will another contender seize the spotlight?
One thing’s for certain: the young Frenchman has announced himself as a name to watch.
If golf is a game of inches, friends and family on the 18th green made every one of those inches count for Charmasson.
And in the unpredictable theatre of tournament golf, that might just be the performance that defines a season.
