The European Tour visits the Algarve for the Portugal Masters this week and we’ve taken a look at five things you need to know about the final tournament before The Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup approaches
The 2018 Portugal Masters is the final European Tour event before one of sport’s great showpieces takes place at Le Golf National in Paris. The biennial event will pit Thomas Bjørn’s European side against Jim Furyk’s Americans as Team Europe attempt to wrestle back the trophy which was they relinquished at Hazeltine National two years ago. Of those set to tee it up in Paris, Sergio Garcia and Thorbjørn Olesen will play at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course hoping to make it the perfect warm-up, while Vice-Captain Padraig Harrington will also be in the field.
Defending champion
Lucas Bjerregaard will be aiming to become the first man to successfully defend the Portugal Masters when he tees it up this week. The Dane posted rounds of 66-65-68-65 last year to finish four shots clear of Scotland’s Marc Warren, who finished in second place. The win in the Algarve capped off a fine year for Bjerregaard, who also triumphed at the innovative GolfSixes alongside countryman Olesen.
Arnie’s army
The course at Dom Pedro Victoria was designed by the great Arnold Palmer. Created in 2004, the course was hailed as the most ambitious golf project Portugal had ever witnessed and the outcome more than met those claims. The fairways incorporate vegetation typical of the area as well as lakes and natural hazards. The wide but undulating fairways provide a fair test of golf, but water hazards and cleverly positioned bunkers pose a constant threat.
Major Champions
There will be no fewer than six former Major Champions in the field. 2017 Masters Tournament Champion Garcia will compete in his final event before joining up with Team Europe for the Ryder Cup, as will Vice-Captain Harrington, a three-time Major winner. Danny Willett, who triumphed at Augusta National in 2016, will also tee it up in Portugal, in addition to another former Masters Champion, Charl Schwartzel. Furthermore, double Major Champion Ángel Cabrera and two-time Masters Champion José María Olazábal are in the field in Portugal.
Young gun
When Tom Lewis secured the Portugal Masters title in 2011, he became the third youngest Englishman to win an event on the European Tour, behind Paul Way (19 years and 149 days - 1982 KLM Open) and Sir Nick Faldo (20 years and 30 days – 1977 Skol Lager Individual). His victory came in only his third professional event, which matched the European Tour record for a player winning in the fewest events since leaving the amateur game. Alejandro Cañizares also won on his third outing in the paid ranks at the 2006 Russian Open. It took Tiger Woods five appearances to taste success while Rory McIlroy had to wait 38 events for his first win.
