John Daly and Colin Montgomerie, two of the most charismatic and colourful figures in golf, will bring their considerable talent and expertise to Vilamoura next month when they line up in the field for the Portugal Masters at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course.
Both men turned professional in 1987 and over the past 24 years have thrilled fans the world over with their achievements; Daly’s personal highs coming with victory in the 1991 US PGA Championship at Crooked Stick and in the 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews, while Montgomerie won seven European Tour Orders of Merit in a row between 1993 and 1999 before adding an eighth in 2005.
However both men have shown form this season too – Montgomerie finishing in a tie for seventh place in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in May while Daly shared ninth in the RBC Canadian Open on the US PGA Tour in July – and both will be keen to capitalise on that at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course from October 13-16.
The trip will represent Daly’s debut in the Portugal Masters although the 45 year old American is a regular at European Tour events, having played in Qatar and Wales already in 2011. This season also represents ten years since he won the BMW International Open in September 2001, carding a 27 under par total of 261 at Golfclub München Eichenried to pip Padraig Harrington by a shot.
“I am really looking forward to travelling to Vilamoura to play in the Portugal Masters for the first time,” said Daly. “Coming from California, everyone knows I love playing in the sunshine and I know from speaking to some of the other European Tour players that beautiful weather is just one of the things to look forward to during the week.
“I’ve heard the course is great, the food is great, the scenery is great and the people are very warm and welcoming so I can’t wait to come over. Hopefully I can put on a show for the fans and be in contention for the title come Sunday night.”
For Montgomerie, returning to Portugal is always special for it is the country where he claimed his first European Tour title back in 1989 – the Portuguese Open at Quinta do Lago in the Algarve, where a stunning final round 63 helped him to a 24 under par total of 264 and an incredible 11 shot victory.
It was the start of an illustrious professional career in which the 48 year old Scot, to date, has won 31 times in total on The European Tour to become the most successful British golfer in history, pipping the 30 Tour victories notched by Sir Nick Faldo between 1977 and 1996.
“Because of my history with Portugal, it is a country that I always enjoy coming back to and this year is no exception – I am really looking forward to the Portugal Masters,” said Montgomerie, who finished in the top 30 on his last appearance at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course in 2009.
“My win in 1989 does seem a long time ago but the good thing is that I still have a great appetite for the game and very much enjoy competing and I will be going all out to try and secure my 32nd European Tour title in Vilamoura.”
The Arnold Palmer-designed Oceânico Victoria Golf Course was opened in 2004 and hosted the WGC World Cup a year later before it was chosen to host the Portugal Masters for the first time in 2007, when England’s Steve Webster beat Robert Karlsson to the inaugural title.
Spain’s Alvaro Quiros followed Webster into the winner’s circle in 2008 before England’s Lee Westwood and Australia’s Richard Green triumphed in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Webster, Quiros and Green will return to try and win for a second time but Westwood has withdrawn due to scheduling issues.
