Glorious sunshine will once again greet the great and good of The European Tour as they descend upon the Algarve for the Portugal Masters this week.
It will be the seventh consecutive season that the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course has played host to the event since 2007, and with the weather set fair for all four tournament days the 7,192 yard par 72 resort course is sure to offer up plenty of birdies.
Designed by Arnold Palmer, and one of five courses at the Vilamoura resort, the Victoria opened in 2004, and just a year later played host to the World Cup won by Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge of Wales.
In 2007 the inaugural Portugal Masters was staged and Steve Webster picked up an emotional victory thanks to an impressive 25 under par total for four rounds. He was subsequently followed by, Alvaro Quiros, Lee Westwood, Richard Green, Tom Lewis and last year by Shane Lowry, all of which have contributed to an average winning total of 20 under par.
Thanks to its generous fairways, and gentle rough, the scoring is sure to be low once again this week but there are hazards lurking for those who stray off line. Several lakes and plenty of bunkers are placed strategically across the 90 hectare site, while great care has also been taken to ensure the preservation of the surrounding wetlands and natural vegetation, including carob, olive and almond trees.
The practice facilities are also exemplary, with a beautifully landscaped driving range, and a huge putting green that measures some 2,500 metres squared. No excuse for the players teeing it up this week to not be working on their game then, and it will make for interesting viewing to see who comes out on top come Sunday afternoon.
Make sure you follow all of the action throughout all four tournament days courtesy of our #ETLiveBlog with the latest live text commentary, multimedia and social media to help keep you appraised of the tournament as it unfolds in the Algarve.
