Marta Pérez, the star attraction of the Santander Golf Tour Valencia
- The Valencian, who is competing this week on the course where she grew up, will be looking to secure her third victory on the Santander Golf Tour
- Thirty-eight players will battle it out on 9 and 10 April for a very special title at the Parador de El Saler Golf Course
Returning home is always special. But when you return as a professional golfer, surrounded by your fans and in a unique setting, the excitement is multiplied. That’s what Marta Pérez, a Valencian player, is experiencing this week as she competes in the second round of the Santander Golf Tour 2025 at the Parador de El Saler Golf Course — her home course — which begins tomorrow and ends on Thursday 10 April.
‘The truth is, I’m very excited,’ she says with a smile. ‘It’s been a long time since we played a tournament here in El Saler, and I’m very happy to be home.’ For her, it’s not just another course. It’s the place where her passion for golf was born. “I’ve been coming here since I was a baby because my father played here. I started hitting balls when I was three, and at five I was admitted to the school. Since then, this course has been part of my life.”
Although many consider the Parador de El Saler Golf Course to be a complex course, with its links-style design and natural surroundings, Marta experiences it differently:
‘Many people tell me it’s a difficult course, but I feel so comfortable that I’ve lost that perception a little. I’m very fond of it. I’m always excited to come back and I’m really looking forward to competing here.’
Competing at home has a unique emotional dimension. Marta knows this well, having thought long and hard about how to deal with it: “Sometimes you wonder if knowing the course means you have to play differently. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best to just go with the flow. When I come on a Saturday or Sunday with friends or my father, I play the course one way and I’m going to compete the same way. I’m not going to change anything.”
Marta Pérez arrives in Valencia after achieving her first professional victory in 2024 at the Santander Golf Tour Álava held at Izki Golf, a triumph that confirmed her talent and consolidated her progress. But this week she could add another golden chapter to her career. A victory at El Saler would be her third title on the Santander Golf Tour, as in 2021, while still an amateur, she was crowned champion at Golf Lerma during the Santander Golf Tour Match-Play, after winning an exciting play-off against Natalia Escuriola that went to the fourth hole.
‘Winning here would be a dream come true. Many people who constantly support me are coming to see me, and for them to see all the work and effort that my family and I have put in would be something I would be very happy about,’ she says emotionally.
And not just because of the sentimental significance. The El Saler tournament is a key event on the calendar: the top two players in the rankings after this event will receive an invitation to compete in the Super Bock Ladies Open of the LET Access Series, which will be held from 6th to 8th May at Vidago Golf in Portugal. In addition, the top-ranked player after the next event in Pedreña will earn a spot in the Tenerife Women’s Open, a Ladies European Tour tournament held from 5th to 8th June.
‘It’s an amazing opportunity, something that can open many doors. I’m very happy and very grateful to the Santander Golf Tour for all the work they do. No other circuit gives us the opportunities they do,’ she says sincerely.
Although her family is her biggest support, not everyone shares her passion: ‘My mother doesn’t play. We tried to get her into it many years ago, but it wasn’t possible,’ she says with a laugh.
‘My father has been playing for many years. He used to play football and then fell in love with golf. My brothers don’t play either, so there is a tradition… but not a complete one.’
Finally, Marta wanted to send a clear message to the Valencian public: ‘It would be an honour for us if you came to see this competition. It’s a very high-level tournament and I’m sure you’d be very surprised by the level of women’s golf, both in Spain and abroad. Seeing it live is a very special experience.’
The conversation with Marta ends with a special mention of the historic victory of Carla Bernat from Castellón in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur: “For me, competing there was the best week of my life and I can’t imagine how she must be feeling. It’s her victory, but it’s also shared with her people. I’m sure it will inspire many girls to take up golf, and that’s the most important thing: that this sport continues to grow.” Marta Pérez is clear about this. This week she’s not just playing another tournament. This week, she’s playing at home.
Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m., the second round of the Santander Golf Tour kicks off, a tournament with numerous sporting attractions where thirty-eight players from twelve different countries will compete for the championship title.
About the Parador de El Saler Golf Course
Located in the heart of the Albufera Natural Park, the Parador de El Saler Golf Course is one of the great icons of Spanish golf. Designed by Javier Arana, considered the best golf course architect in Spanish history, it offers an 18-hole course that combines Mediterranean forest areas with links-style stretches by the sea. Its technical layout and respect for the environment have made it the venue for numerous professional tournaments and a destination of choice for golf and nature lovers.
About the Santander Golf Tour
The Santander Golf Tour is Banco Santander’s firm commitment to professional women’s golf, and it celebrates its tenth season in 2025. With ten tournaments throughout Spain, some of them part of higher circuits such as the LETAS, it is supported by Santander Private Banking, Carmignac, and Santander Seguros as sponsors. Homenaje, Wilson Golf, Toa Shoes, and Estrella Damm are the preferred suppliers. The Royal Spanish Golf Federation, together with the Valencian Community Golf Federation, provide the rest of the essential support for this tour.