Pablo Larrazabal

Born: May 15, 1983

Height: 5 ft 10 in

Birthplace: Barcelona, Spain

Turned Pro: 2004

Sponsors: Titleist

Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal attended high school in the United States and returned to Europe in 2002 to pursue a career in professional golf. However, before that happened Larrazabal had to labor for two years on his family’s fish farm at the insistence of his father.

Larrazabal finally turned professional in 2004 and played mini-tour events. In 2006, he began to play the Challenge Tour, the European equivalent to the U.S.’s Web.com Tour. Larrazabal made 7 of 8 cuts during an abbreviated season. His best finish was a tie for 7th and he only earned 7,160 Euro, finishing well down the money list.

The next season brought gradual improvement. Larrazabal had 6 top twenty-five finishes and rose to 69th on the Challenge Tour money list. And, more importantly, Larrazabal competed in the European Tour’s qualifying school where he played well, finished sixth, and secured his European Tour card for 2008.

2008 was a memorable year of Larrazabal. He made 17 cuts and recorded 3 top tens, including his first professional win at the Open de France. He finished a remarkable 18th on the Order of Merit and was selected as Rookie of the Year.

Larrazabal struggled in his next two seasons, falling down the money list but made enough money to retain his card.

In 2011, he bounced back with a string of top five finishes. His momentum continued into the BMW International Open where he captured his second European Tour win, defeating Sergio Garcia. Larrazabal ended the season in 18th place on the money list.

In 2014, Larrazabal won his biggest tournament to date, defeating Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy to secure the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for his third European Tour win.