Pedro Figueiredo is relishing the chance to tee it up on home soil at this week’s Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos.
The Portuguese is hoping that familiar surroundings and course knowledge can enable him to claim a second European Challenge Tour title at Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort.
“It is always nice and special to play at home,” he said. “You have family, friends and fellow players from your country playing as well. I am not too far from my home in Lisbon, it feels great to be here this week.
“A win is always very special. For myself to win at home would be a dream come true because It’s something I have never done as a professional. Obviously, that would help me towards achieving my goals which is securing a DP World Tour card for next year.”
Figueiredo currently sits in 85th position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings with only five tournaments remaining before the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A. The 31-year-old is hoping for a late surge up the Rankings to move into the top 45 and secure his place at the season finale.
“We are getting to the closing stretch,” he said. “This is the start of the closing stretch especially because we had a week off last week. It would be good to start that stretch with a good tournament and give yourself momentum to finish the year strong and achieve your goals.
“Right now, I am not in the best position to achieve that, but there is still five tournaments to go before the Grand Final and if I have a good stretch during these weeks, I think I can get my DP World Tour card.”
The 31-year-old graduated from the Challenge Tour in dramatic fashion in 2018 after holing a vital putt at the season finale to claim the final DP World Tour card.
“That was a big year for me,” he said. “I remember I was the last guy because at the time it was the top 15 and I was the 15th guy to get the card. It was all very close; it came down to the last day and the last putt of the year.”
The Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos starts tomorrow, Thursday September 14 at 7:50am local time.
