José enjoyed his best season as a senior in 1998 with two top-ten finishes after successfully graduating from the 1997 European Seniors Tour Qualifying School for the second successive year. During the formative years of the European Tour José was content with life as a club professional - leading to his present role at El Saler, one of Europe’s leading courses - and only made a few appearances on Tour. One such occasion was the 1976 Madrid Open when he took a break from teaching to finish fifth, alongside, among others, Bernhard Langer. Five shots further back was another Spaniard determined to follow a different path and make tournament golf his career - Severiano Ballesteros.