Quick Facts
Biography
Pablo Martín Benavides (born 20 April 1986) is a Spanish professional golfer.
Martín was born in Málaga, and attended Oklahoma State University in the United States. He was named the Jack Nicklaus Award winner, the Haskins Award winner in 2006 as the best collegiate golfer in the world. He won the 2005 Porter Cup.
In April 2007, Martín became the first amateur ever to win a European Tour event when he captured the Estoril Open de Portugal title. As an amateur, he had to forfeit the winner's prize money of €208,330, but the win still granted him exemption on the European Tour until the end of 2009. He turned professional in June 2007, and completed the season playing on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, relying on sponsors' invitations for PGA Tour events.
Martín did not enjoy immediate success on the European Tour after he turned professional, with only a single top ten finish in the 2008 and 2009 seasons but managed to retain his card for the 2010 season by finishing 118th on the 2009 Race to Dubai. However in the first event of the 2010 season, the Alfred Dunhill Championship, he won again to become the first player to win on the European Tour as both an amateur and as a professional. In December 2010, he defended this title winning the 2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship.
After a poor 2012 season, Martin lost full playing rights on the European Tour and did not complete the Qualifying School.
Amateur wins
- 2001 Boys Amateur Championship
- 2005 Porter Cup
Professional wins
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Apr 2007 | Estoril Open de Portugal (as an amateur) | −-7 (73-70-66-68=277) | 1 stroke |  Raphaël Jacquelin |
| 2 | 13 Dec 2009 (2010 season) | Alfred Dunhill Championship (co-sanctioned with Sunshine Tour) | −17 (68-63-71-69=271) | 1 stroke |  Charl Schwartzel |
| 3 | 12 Dec 2010 (2011 season) | Alfred Dunhill Championship (2) (co-sanctioned with Sunshine Tour) | −11 (69-70-68-70=277) | 2 strokes | Anthony Michael,  Thorbjørn Olesen, Charl Schwartzel |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T30 | DNP | DNP | T82 |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Spain): 2002, 2006
- Palmer Cup (representing Europe): 2005, 2006 (winners)
Professional
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2010 (winners), 2011 (winners)