Portugal Masters: European Tour Heads West As Andy Sullivan Defends
Andy Sullivan looks to defend, while Alex Noren seeks his fourth win of 2016 this week at the Portugal Masters.
Not known as a golfing powerhouse like its neighbor to the East, Portugal is still relatively new to the European Tour scene as the Portugal Masters gets underway for the 10th time this weekend.
The nation entered the eye of the golf word when it hosted the World Cup of Golf in 2005. The event was a relative success and just two years later the Portugal Masters was born, taking place in October every year since.
Journeyman Steve Webster won the first edition in 2007 just five months after the death of his mother in an emotional tournament inauguration. Since then, a few notable names have taken the trophy at Victoria Clube de Golfe (formerly known as Oceânico Victoria Golf Course), an Arnold Palmer-influenced design playing to a par of 72 at 7,209 yards.
Joining the ranks of past champs Lee Westwood, Shane Lowry and Alexander Levy, Andy Sullivan can point to his 2015 win in Vilamoura as one of the mileposts en route to becoming a European Ryder Cup member and a top-50 player in the world in 2016.
The Englishman picked up his second win on Tour in a nine-stroke rout, finishing inside the top 15 in the field in driving distance and accuracy, greens in regulation and putts per round.
He finished at a tournament record setting 23-under-par, competing on what could be described as an open, American-style track with few trees and light rough countered by water and sand in play on several holes.
His career best performance has not translated to more wins, but it allowed him to play a world class schedule in which he made the cut in three of four majors and placed runner up twice in four top-10s.
The Portugal Masters is situated two weeks before the beginning of the Race to Dubai series that features three tournaments in three weeks. It’s also one week before the WGC HSBC Champions held seven time zones away in Shanghai. As a result, several big names have opted for a week of rest in preparation for four straight weeks of golf for the European Tour’s elite.
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Nonetheless, Sullivan joins one of the hottest players in the world and last week’s British Masters winner, Alex Noren, in a field of 120 golfers.
Noren, ranked No. 18 in the world, could pick up his third win since July and fourth of the season. The other big draw that he’ll have to compete with is Thomas Pieters, who has been in the spotlight as of late from his fine form in the Olympics, a win at the Made in Denmark in August and the Ryder Cup.
Amidst the Sullivan rout in Portugal in 2015, Pieters tied for sixth and was just two shots out of second.
Not counting José Felipe-Lima, who is of Portuguese nationality but predominantly grew up and lived in France, just two from the fledgling golf nation of Portgual have won on the European Tour. The last came in 2012 in Portugal at the Madeira Islands Open by Ricardo Santos in a watered down Challenge Tour co-sanctioned event. Before that, you have to go back 20 more years to the now defunct Jersey European Airways Open won by Daniel Silva.
Seven Portugese, including Santos, will tee it up this week looking to end the drought. Owning the most realistic chance of doing so is another Ricardo, Ricardo Gouveia. The 25-year-old is currently ranked No. 155 in the world and has spent weeks inside the top 100. He represented Portugal in the Olympics this summer and has built on three Challenge Tour victories between 2014 and 2015 with a pair of top 10s this season. He also finished 31st in Portugal last season.
Tee times will be released on Tuesday.
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