PORTUGAL AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR
• The first European Tour events s in Portugal was the 1973 Open de Portugal, staged at the Penina Golf Resort and won by Jamie Benito, beating Benard Gallacher in a play-off.
• Daniel Silva, at the 1992 Jersey Open, holds the distinction of being the only Portuguese player to win on The European Tour. (Jose-Filipe Lima, is now a Portuguese national. However, in winning the 2004 As St Omer Open, he was representing France).
• The Portugal Masters will be the fifth different official European Tour event to be held on Portuguese soil since 1973. They are: Estoril Open de Portugal (from 1973 onwards (not played in 1980-81), Madeira Islands Open BPI (1993 onwards), Vinho Verde Atlantic Open (1990) and Estoril Open (1999). The World Cup was also staged at the Victoria Club de Golf in 2005.
• The Portugal Masters will be The European Tour’s third visit to Portuguese soil in 2007, following the Madeira Islands Open BPI and the Estoril Open de Portugal. This equals the record, for most official European Tour events in that country in one season, first set in 1999. That year, the other two aforementioned events and the Estoril Open were played.
• The Portugal Masters, with a prize fund of €3,000,000 is the richest official European Tour event ever staged in this country.
DID YOU KNOW? – PORTUGAL MASTERS
• Lee Westwood, winner of the Valle Romano Open de Andalucia and The Quinn Direct British Masters on The 2007 European Tour International Schedule, will try to become only the second player to win three times this season, following Tiger Woods (WGC – CA Championship, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship). Should Westwood triumph, it would be the first time since 2000 (five official victories), he has won on three occasions in the same season.
• A high quality field has assembled at Victoria Club de Golfe, with 24 winners from The 2007 European Tour International Schedule, including Pablo Martin who is looking for a Portuguese double, after creating European Tour history when he became the first amateur to win on The European Tour at the Estoril Open de Portugal.
• Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge will be returning to the scene of their biggest win – the 2005 World Cup. There are 14 players in the field this week who participated in the World Cup.
