Francesco Molinari hopes to convert his excellent Portugal Masters record into a first victory on the Algarve this week at Oceånico Victoria Golf Club.
The Italian has never finished worse than 38th in seven appearances in Vilamoura, and was a runner-up in both 2009 and 2010.
A consistent 2014 season has seen the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cup star miss only two cuts on The European Tour, but with only two top-ten finishes to his name Molinari is eager to put himself in contention again on Sunday.
“I've always enjoyed coming here,” said the 31 year old three-time European Tour winner.
“It's a good course, a great event, the weather is usually best of the year, so it's always nice to come here. You've got a great spot on here the Tivoli Hotel, and it's an enjoyable week for everyone.
“I feel I've been playing okay all year but not getting the scores I'd like, so it's time to push on and to try to have a good, strong finish to the year. That's what I'm going to try to do from this week onwards.”
Pressed on what the difference would be between another good week and a great week, Molinari highlighted the short stick as the key to a low score.
“The scoring is quite good, so you need to putt well to go deep under par,” he added. “But at the same time there's a few water hazards in play, so you need to be a bit careful off the tee and then you can be aggressive with the rest of the game.”
Another former runner-up in the event, Justin Walters, also has fond memories of this venue after his 40 foot par putt on the 72nd hole 12 months ago secured his European Tour card a fortnight after his mother had passed away.
“I watched a few videos of what I did last year, and actually this morning when I checked my tee time, I saw those highlights from day four last year, and I clicked on it and it really does get the emotions going,” said the South African.
“I was under so much pressure on the course and then off course I was really struggling so much.
“I was just happy to make contact sometimes the way I was feeling, and to do what I actually managed to achieve was quite astounding. I remember several times walking down some fairways actually wiping tears from my eyes. I was thinking ‘okay, you're going to be sad, but you actually have to finish what you're doing here’.
“It was quite a tough experience but I think it was an experience that I wouldn't really wish on anyone, but it really made me feel much stronger. I'm able to deal with a little more than I expected and I drew a lot of inspiration from it.”
