Portugal Masters started today in Vilamoura with a good field and a good weather forecast until Sunday. This is a good opportunity to see at the Dom Pedro Victoria golf course some of the best players in Europe.
pro-am Winners
Yesterday, in pro-am, where for the second time two professionals played in each amateur team (one played 9 holes and the other 9), the winners were Bradley Dredge and Brandon Stone. The best Portuguese team finished in second place: Dom Pedro Hotels & Golf Collection led by professionals Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Guido Migliozzi with amateurs Stefano Saviotti, Francisco Damásio and Manuel Damásio Jr.
Dom Pedro Victoria will be, until Sunday, the European golf capital.
The Algarve has been voted Best Golf Destination in the World for 2020 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), which represents the global golf tourism industry within the 20th IAGTO Awards. The Algarve was elected by the vote of more than 700 tour operators, specializing in this industry and coming from over 60 different countries.
This is the third time that the Algarve is distinguished by IAGTO, having in 2006 and 2014 achieved the title of Best Golf Destination in Europe.
Vilamoura Victoria Golf Course
“Among the many factors that made it possible to reach the top of the voting are the quality and diversity of the Algarve’s golfing infrastructure, ease of access to the destination through frequent connections with Faro airport and the cost / benefit ratio. Added to this are other options such as the wide selection of accommodation options, the natural beauty of the region, the good weather that allows golf to be played throughout the year and the huge variety of attractions and additional motivations that make the stay richer. players visiting the region, with family and friends, ”says the statement from the AlgarveTourism Association.
Morgado Golf Course
The award was delivered this Thursday, the 17th, to João Fernandes, president of Turismo doAlgarve. On the occasion, he said he was “very proud” to receive this award on behalf of all those working in the golf tourism industry in the Algarve, leaving thanks to IAGTO and all the tour operators who voted for this destination. “Not only is the Algarve a must-see place for the amateur golfer, it has attracted the best professionals in the world, thanks to the diversity and recognized quality of the 40 golf courses and the renowned hospitality and professionalism of the region’s agents. Golf days in the Algarve linger in the memory of golfers even after their holidays are over! Land of multiple charms, the Algarve is history, tradition, good weather, nature, good cuisine and something that cannot be explained… Just visiting! Therefore, we hope to receive lovers of the sport very soon! We invite you all to know the Algarve next week, which will be held the Portugal Masters 2019 (European Tour tournament), which this year will take place from 23 to 27 October, in Vilamoura”.
Vale do Lobo Royal Golf Course
In the words of Peter Walton, President of IAGTO, “Algarve has always put the golfing visitor experience at the top of its agenda and for this reason I would like to congratulate all golf courses, hotels and tourism service providers. region’s golf course for this extraordinary achievement.”
The 46-year-old Englishman, is one of the biggest golf champions ever in Vilamoura, and joins his compatriots Eddie Pepperell and Andy Sullivan, the 2015 winner.
Westwood will make his first appearance at the Portugual Masters tournament since winning ten years ago in the Algarve his 30th international title, while Sullivan earned his third European Tour trophy at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in 2015, with a huge advantage of 9 strokes over the second – a record in the Portugal Masters.
In 2009, Westwood broke a two-year career in Portugal without a European Tour win, beating italian Francesco Molinari by two shots, thanks to three rounds -6 par for an aggregate of -23 par, the second best result ever in Vilamoura tournament history.
That victory catapulted him to a peak that culminated, later that season in a Race to Dubai victory and became No. 1 European Tour player of the Year. The following year, he became the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1994 to rise to the top of the world rankings.
“I have happy memories of Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course from my win there in 2009,” said Westwood, who had reached 26 top-tens between his 2007 British Masters and Portugal Masters triumphs in 2009 without raising any trophy during that period.
“I had a series of ‘almost’ between these two wins and that made me very happy to have finally crossed the line in Portugal,” he added.
Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course
“Many players have been telling me about how this tournament has grown in recent years and I look forward to returning and witnessing this growth. It also gives me the opportunity to prepare for the Nedbank Golf Challenge title defense (November 14-17 in South Africa). So I’m excited about this week (in Portugal), ”concluded the 46-year-old, who has 43 titles in his career, including 24 on the European Tour and 2 on the PGA Tour.
As for Andy Sullivan, who was Westwood‘s partner in the 2006 European Ryder Cup team at Hazeltine (United States), he was almost becoming the first and only player to win the Portugal Masters in consecutive years.
After the win in 2015, interestingly also 23 under Par as Westwood, the 32-year-old British was runner-up in 2016, just one shot from Irishman Padraig Harrington, another of the illustrious holders of the Portuguese golf tournament, with three Majors in is career.
“The Portugal Masters is an event I always look to when the calendar is announced,” said Sullivan. “It’s a big tournament and it’s always nice to be back in a golf course where we’ve won before. I always take my family with me and they enjoy being there as much as I do – and it never hurts to have extra support when we compete, ”added the most smiling golfer.
“This tournament gives us the opportunity to start winning an eland for the last three tournaments of the year. I really want to finish the golf season hard and this event is the ideal platform for that, ”concluded Sully’, winner of three international golf titles. Eddie Pepperell, for his part, has won twice on the European Tour and also confirmed his presence at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, with the aim of maintaining his top-50 status in the world golf ranking, which gives him access to Majors and the World Golf Championships.
Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course
The Portugal Masters 2019 will then have the presence of a luxury English quintet if we had Tom Lewis double winner at the Victoria golf course and title defender, and Oliver Fisher who last year in the Algarve became the first player completing a golf round in 59 shots on the European Tour.
Also new is the presence of Thomas Bjorn, the captain of the European team that won the Ryder Cup in 2018 in France. Bjorn won the Portuguese Open in 2010 and is a veteran with 21 international titles.
Portugal Masters tickets are available from 8€ for ages 12 to 17; 17€ for promotional tickets and 20€ for adults.
