Tomás Melo Gouveia is planning on using all of his local knowledge this week as the home favourite makes his first European Challenge Tour appearance as a professional at the 56º Open de Portugal @ Morgado Golf Resort.
The 23 year old, who joined the paid ranks in October last year, arrives at Morgado Golf Resort with an upper hand on most of the field having grown up in Quinta Do Lago – just 40 miles from this week’s venue.
Having enjoyed a fine career as an amateur in his homeland, Gouveia chose to turn professional at the tail end of 2017 and has been plying his trade on the satellite Pro Golf Tour this year – where he has made the cut in his last five starts.
With his brother Ricardo excelling on the Challenge Tour in 2015, winning twice en route to topping the Rankings with a record total of €251,592, Tomás knows he has big shoes to fill but makes clear he plans to ease into life as a professional player.
“I am really excited especially as it is at home here in the Algarve,” he said. “I know this course pretty well as I have played it many times so I am really excited to play at this level and see how my game compares.
“The last year has been really good for me here in Portugal as an amateur. Now it is a new challenge all together though and it is a long process, but I am really excited.
“I have really enjoyed competing on the satellite tours. I don’t think that I am quite at the Challenge Tour level yet so it is good to start and get some experience on those tours and get some confidence. I am really, really happy to play in those tournaments and develop my game further.
“For my first year I just want to play as much as I can, see where my game is, and try to get better and better every day – those are my goals. My big goal is to finish in the top five on the satellite tour and earn a card on the Challenge Tour for next season.
“I think driving and putting will be very important this week. If you hit the fairways you will have plenty of chances for birdie and if you make your putts then you will shoot really low.”
Tomás, three years younger than his brother Ricardo, admits he has sought advice from his older sibling in the run up to this week.
“We have been talking regularly over the last week,” he said. “He has been giving me advice on what I should and shouldn’t do and how I should prepare and it has been crucial. He is going to be here this week to watch and support which means a lot to me.”
Gouevia is one of 13 home players teeing it up in Portimão this week – a record number of Portuguese participants in a Challenge Tour event.
Also in the field is Sweden’s Oscar Lengden who comes to Portugal fresh from a second Challenge Tour victory at last week’s Challenge de España.
