With a moniker that points to the Mediterranean, rookie Edouard Espana is very much a Frenchman for the future, having put together one of the most consistent European Challenge Tour campaigns of the season to join a four-strong Gallic contingent to graduate through the second tier Rankings.
Listing a good sunset as one of the things that interests him away from the golf course, there is no doubt that said sun is very much rising on the career of Espana, with the soft morning glow of his embryonic career so far highlighting a talent befitting the upswing in French golf of late.
The 25 year old considers compatriots Victor Dubuisson, Alexander Levy and Romain Wattel as friends, having excelled as part of the French set up alongside them in his amateur days, and he will hope to replicate their success as momentum builds towards The 2018 Ryder Cup at European Tour Destination Le Golf National.
It might be some way down the line, but Espana does see a place on the European side in a little under four years as a possible destination on his career roadmap. Until then he will just hope to continue the form that saw him make 21 cuts in a row, en route to 11th place in the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2015.
His best finish – a tie for third at the EMC Golf Challenge Open – was the foundation for his success, alongside a further five top ten results that included impressive sixth place displays at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts and Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge.
Couple those with equally strong showings at the inaugural Azerbaijan Golf Challenge Open and the lucrative Kazakhstan Open and it is easy to see why Espana joined Benjamin Hebert, Jérôme Lando-Casanova and Michael Lorenzo-Vera in The Race to Dubai this season.
The genial Frenchman is under no illusions that he is the finished article, and sees his graduation as merely the latest step in his career, as he continues to build on his undoubted talent.
“It has been a very good season and now that it is over, it is safe to say it has been perfect,” said Espana, who believes his putting is the area where he can make the most gains if he is to retain his place amongst Europe’s elite at the end of his rookie season.
“To finish in the top 15 on the Rankings and in the top ten for the sixth time this year in Dubai, after making 21 cuts in a row, I have played solid all year and I’m very happy. My putting perhaps wasn’t the best in Dubai, but it doesn’t matter as I have finished in the top 15, which was the objective at the start of the year.
“It is difficult as there are a lot of good players on the Challenge Tour, so you can’t tell if you will be able to finish in the top 15 or not, but I thought to myself that my game was good enough. I knew that if I played to my level then I could finish in the top 15, and I did that most of the year.
“My long game was good all year, and I worked a lot throughout the season with my caddie James and we did a very good job. My putting was perhaps not my best, and although I putted OK I didn’t manage to hole too many putts, which is why I didn’t manage to win. The objective was not to win though, it was to finish in the top 15, so that is done.”
It is one thing to perform with aplomb on the Challenge Tour, but the top table of European golf can sometimes be a harsher environment, and one in which he will have to settle quickly if he is to succeed this season.
Confidence can be a fickle thing, but it is clear in spending any time with Espana that if he were to get off to a good start then he could well ride that wave to some strong displays, and not just because he is a keen surfer.
“I took confidence week after week as the season went on, which is why when it got to the end, I was feeling very good,” said the Bordeaux resident.
“I am going to try and keep the same game, to work on my bad points, and improve my putting as that is very important on The European Tour. The courses are tough and you have to play well, so I will practice a lot then I will work hard to get ready for the season.
“I am very excited to play with all of the big names that I saw on the TV growing up. Romain (Wattel), Alex (Levy) and Victor (Dubuisson) are all my friends, and I will join them on The European Tour next year. French golf is having a very good time at the moment, and with four guys also in the top 15 this year, there will be a lot of Frenchmen playing next season.
“The Ryder Cup in 2018 is a long way away, so I will not be thinking about that just yet, but it is an objective of mine to play for Europe in France. I love my country, and to play Ryder Cup at home would be great.”
