Peter Mitchell returns to Portugal this week with his family hoping that history can repeat itself in the Algarve Portuguese Open at Le Meridien Penina.
Twelve months ago, the 40 year old Londoner took wife Karen and children Kylie, Alix and Emma to the Algarve for a well deserved holiday. Mitchell responded to the happy family environment by claiming the Portuguese Open and his third European Tour by a single shot.
Mitchell kept his cool over the testing par-73 course that Sir Henry Cotton built back in the 1960s to shoot a closing round of 70 and a final total of 274, 18 under par.
That was enough to secure victory by one shot from David Gilford and Swede Jarmo Sandelin, but his success surprised the winner, who had enjoyed a decidedly ordinary week in Morocco leading up to the Portuguese event.
He recalled: "I hadn’t played particularly well in Morocco, but taking the family out to Portugal proved to be the best thing I could have done. Obviously they had been with me at previous tournaments, and watched me finish second to Carl Mason in the Scottish Open a few years earlier.
"But it was really special for them to be with me when I won. We are doing the same thing this week, going out for the Algarve Portuguese Open then moving on to Spain for the Turespaña Masters Open Andalucia.
"People say there is nothing like your first win, but this one was very special in view of the fact that the family was there to see it. I only hope that I get the same good feelings I did at Penina last year."
The Algarve Portuguese Open is the first of three top class tournaments to be played on Portuguese territory over the forthcoming weeks. Next up is the Madeira Island Open while the ‘Portuguese Swing’ reaches a climax in April with the Estoril Open.
The key to Mitchell’s win was, without doubt, his ability to play the 215 yard 16th hole as near to perfection as is possible. The hole played its full length and difficulty all week, but he succeeded in making a two there on all four days.
"The secret there is just to put the ball on the green and try to make three. I went one better - I made four twos, which helped me greatly in my attempt to win the golf tournament. To be four under par on one hole was pretty good going.
"Ironically, with five par fives on the course, these are the holes where you are supposed to pick up strokes. I played them abysmally. I found the course very tough and struggled off the tee. In truth, my iron shots got me out of jail.
"It’s very tree lined and very tight. The five par fives are where you can make your score but I didn’t. I was in the trees more often than not.
"It was the fours that I played best. I made fives on the par fives and knocked it close on the par fours. I played them really well."
Mitchell had begun the last day one stroke ahead of Paul Lawrie and three in front of Gilford, Sandelin and Wayne Riley. He held on in good style after Lawrie fell away with a last round 82.
The new Qatar Masters champion, who played so beautifully at Doha Golf Club two weeks ago, returns to competitive action aiming to obliterate the memory of that closing 82 at Penina last year.
Lawrie is in a strong field including a host of European Tour champions.
Scotland’s Sam Torrance, missing for the past three weeks due to injury, is scheduled to make his comeback over the course where he earned the fourth of his 21 European Tour titles in 1982.
Meanwhile Miguel Angel Jiménez will be aiming to make amends for his disappointment at losing to Justin Leonard in the first round of the Andersen Consulting Match Play.
Le Meridien Penina is the glorious creation of Sir Henry Cotton, who proved himself to be an excellent golf designer as well as an extraordinary golfer. He carved out the championship course on the Algarve coast, between Portimao and Lagos, in 1966.
The course is set in its own 360 acre estate and is undoubtedly a magnificent test of golf with woods and water coming into play at almost every hole. The course calls for precise shots rather than heroic ones and, with those five par fives, the rewards are available to everyone.
Le Meridien Penina is part of the international Meridien chain of hotels and resorts. Sir Henry was proud of his work - and the setting will surely provide a worthy champion next weekend.
