CATALONIA CHALLENGE 2026

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The Challenge Catalunya is heating up. On a second day marked once again by wind and difficult conditions at Fontanals Golf, Sweden's Christofer Blomstrand has taken the lead in the tournament with authority thanks to a spectacular round of 64 strokes (-8), one of the best scores posted so far this week.

But the fight for the title is wide open. Carlos Pigem, from Lleida, who knows the Catalan course perfectly, remains the highest-ranked Spaniard, just four strokes off the lead. And alongside him, names like Pablo Ereño are still firmly in contention heading into the weekend.

At the halfway point of the tournament, the leaderboard has undergone a significant shift. The wind and cold have made the course even harder, but the gaps remain minimal: just eight strokes separate the leader from the last players who have made the cut. Among the day's highlights was Denmark's hole-in-one on the 5th hole, a 190-meter par 3.

Christofer Blomstrand finds his best version

The Nordic golfer, winner of the HotelPlanner Tour in 2014 and runner-up this year in Durban, confirmed his excellent form at Fontanals. The Swede turned in a flawless, bogey-free round, carding six birdies and an eagle to reach 13 under par.

“I’ve played pretty well, although I’ve also made a lot of good putts and had some very short birdies, so that always helps,” the leader explained. “But there have also been some bad shots. The key is to stay in the right place at all times.”.

Blomstrand admitted to feeling particularly comfortable on the Fontanals Golf course. “I felt really good on the course today. Some holes are more difficult than others, and you just have to position yourself correctly. At the moment, I'm very happy, and now I just want to keep playing my game and see where we are on Sunday.”.

The Swede faces the weekend aware that there is still a long way to go in the tournament. “The season has been a bit of a rollercoaster, just like these last two rounds: there have been bad shots and very good shots. My goal is to minimize errors and make the game as simple as possible.”.

Two strokes behind the leader are Denmark's Hamish Brown, France's Clément Sordet and Sweden's Adam Wallin, all tied at 11 under par.

Carlos Pigem ignites Catalan hope

The day's standout Spanish player was Carlos Pigem. The Lleida native, who knows Fontanals Golf perfectly, carded a brilliant 66 (-6) with seven birdies and just one bogey to finish eighth at 9 under par, firmly in contention.

“I started really well, leaving the ball pinned on the 1st hole,” Pigem explained. “It was a shame not to make birdie on the 2nd, but then I reacted really well.”.

After a bogey on the 5th hole, the Catalan golfer strung together birdies on the 6th and 7th to immediately regain his rhythm. “From then on, the round started to flow,” he acknowledged. “Then I birdied the 14th and 15th and finished with three pars, very happy.”.

Pigem highlighted the improvement from the tee compared to the first round. “Today I probably hit it better off the tee. Yesterday I even had to play some provisional balls, and in the afternoon the wind made the course much more difficult.”.

After a difficult start to the season, the Catalan rider has found reasons to be optimistic. “It’s the first time I’ve made the cut this year, and that gives me confidence,” he admitted. “The results hadn’t been good, but now I’m very happy, and hopefully I can put in two good laps this weekend.”.

Pablo Ereño doesn't fall out of the fight

Another prominent Spanish name continues to be Pablo Ereño. The Madrid native, one of the season's biggest breakout stars on the HotelPlanner Tour, once again demonstrated his composure, carding a 67 (-5) to reach a total of 8 under par. "I played the first nine holes quite poorly, mainly relying heavily on holding on and saving a lot of pars," Ereño explained. "But I fought hard to stay at par.".

From that point on, the ProSpain Team player completely changed the dynamic of his round. “After that, I played very solidly, hitting a lot of fairways and greens,” he commented. “The eagle on the 2nd hole was key. I left my driver in the middle of the fairway, I had 190 meters to go, and I hit a 6-iron to the right, which was the safest option. I left it five meters from the ball and sank the putt.”.

Ereño arrives at the weekend convinced that there is still much to be decided. “I’m very happy with how I’ve handled the race and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”.

Today the cut in the classification has been established at 5 under par and a total of 61 players have passed it who will be the ones to play the final two days of the Challenge Catalunya; among them, six Spaniards: Carlos Pigem (-9), Pablo Ereño (-8), Joel Moscatel (-7), Luis Masaveu (-7), Joseba Torres (-6) and Eduard Rousaud (-5).

The Challenge de Catalunya is supported by the HotelPlanner Tour, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, Fontanals Golf Club, the Catalan Golf Federation and the Higher Sports Council, as well as Allianz, AON, the Girona Provincial Council, Fontanals City Council, Ríos Renovables, BCD Group, Kyocera, Volvo, Bodegas Juan Gil, Mahou, Solán de Cabras, Revel and Titleist, and organized by JGolf.

SOURCE: Tournament Organization