Joel Moscatel is looking to build on his impressive recent form when he tees it up in the 25th edition of the Challenge de España at Real Club Sevilla Golf this week.
The 25-year-old carded weekend rounds of 68-67 to finish in a share of fourth place in the UAE Challenge last month and record his best finish of the season to date.
Moscatel is excited to be back on home soil and is hoping to continue the form that sees him sit 29th in the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings after eight events of 29-event schedule.
“I couldn’t wait for this week,” he said. “I’ve done a good job before coming here so now let’s see what I can do in Europe.
“I missed the cut the first week of the UAE double-header and I didn’t have really good feelings with my swing, but I kept working and I trained with Alvaro Quiros which helped. I had a top ten in the UAE Challenge at the same course last year, so I had good memories going there for the second week.
“Step-by-step I was feeling better and at the weekend everything clicked. It was amazing because I didn’t expect to have a chance to win but I did.”
Moscatel earned full playing privileges for the Challenge Tour season after making the 72-hole cut at DP World Tour Qualifying School last year.
The Spaniard is reuniting with the caddie that was on the bag for him that week and hopes that together they can put themselves in contention on a course he’s played before.
“It’s a little wider off the tee here, so the greens are tricky,” he added. “I think this week it’s going to get firmer and firmer, but obviously striking the ball will always be the key.
“I’ll have the caddie that I had at Qualifying School where, thanks to the job we did together, I got my card. Also, my coach is here which is great.
“I know that if I have a good week, as I did in the UAE, I could have a chance, so I’ll just be trying to play my game, do my job and see what comes from it.”
Moscatel is part of a strong field in Seville that includes current Road to Mallorca Number One Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, last year’s Challenge de España winner Martin Couvra and four-time DP World Tour winner David Horsey.
The first round of the Challenge de España gets under way on Thursday at 8:00am local time, with Moscatel teeing off alongside countryman Pedro Oriol and Finn Tapio Pulkkanen at 1:40pm.
