For a man who played golf mainly in the fields around his home and never had a handicap as an amateur, Juan Carlos has progressed to a consistent performer on the European Tour after eight European Tour Qualifying School attempts. He finally made it at the 1995 European Tour Qualifying School Finals and in his first tournament of 1996, the Open Catalonia, he finished joint sixth. Juan Carlos is the younger brother by 13 years of Spain's famous Ryder Cup player, Manuel Piñero. It was Manuel's victory in the Spanish Championship that inspired Juan Carlos to take up golf at the age of ten and the fields near his home on the outskirts of Madrid were his golf course. He worked as a caddie between the ages of 10-17 and since turning professional he has won eight tournaments in Spain, including the Spanish PGA, an event which brother Manuel never managed to win.