As the Portugal Masters prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary, europeantour.com brings you the key facts and memorable moments from the Algarve tournament.
Rewind
England’s Andy Sullivan will be keen to replicate his scintillating display from last year, when he romped to victory by a tournament record nine shots, as he secured the third European Tour title of his career in emphatic fashion.
The Nuneaton native came into the final round with a five-shot lead, and a closing 66 extended that to nine strokes. Playing alongside his compatriot Chris Wood in the final pairing, Sullivan added to what was already an unbeatable score by making his birdie putt on the 18th hole to take him to 23 under par for the tournament.
Wood and Eduardo De La Riva battled it out for second place, with the Spaniard’s bogey at the last handing Wood second place on a score of 14 under par.
Given their vocal presence in 2015, the amiable Sullivan will no doubt be cheered on again by the self-styled “Sulli Army”, comprising of friends, family and members of his local golf club.
The Field
A field packed with Ryder Cup stars, European Tour winners and home-grown heroes will descend on the Algarve for the tenth edition of the Portugal Masters.
Record-breaking rookie Thomas Pieters and defending champion Andy Sullivan will bring Ryder Cup pedigree to Victoria Clube de Golfe, together with three men who formed part of Europe’s backroom team at Hazeltine National, Thomas Bjørn, Padraig Harrington and Paul Lawrie.
The duo will be joined in Vilamoura by in-form Swede Alex Noren, who has won three titles this year, including last week at the British Masters supported by Sky Sports, big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, and his compatriot José Maria Olazábal.
Having been side-lined for 18 months since last year’s Masters, a tournament he won on two occasions, Olazábal will continue his comeback from injury in the Algarve.
Ricardo Gouveia, currently 93rd in the Race to Dubai and virtually guaranteed a place on the European Tour next term, will lead the home challenge.
THE COURSE
Designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer and first openedin 2004, the Victoria Clube de Golfe Course is a championship layout that measures 7,209 yards and plays to a par of 72.
One of five courses at Vilamoura, the Victoria Clube de Golfe hosted the World Cup of Golf back in 2005, when Stephen Dodd and Bradley Dredge of Wales triumphed.
With generous fairways and gentle rough, there are plenty of birdies to be had but with several lakes and hazards framing the course, there is certainly a risk-and-reward element to many holes.
Great care has been taken to ensure the preservation of the surrounding wetlands and natural vegetation, including carob, olive and almond trees.
Did you know?
- The Victoria Clube de Golfe course was the first Arnold Palmer signature course in Continental Europe and has staged every edition of the tournament, which began life in 2007 as a follow-on from the 2005 World Cup of Golf
- England's Steve Webster won the inaugural tournament, taking advantage of perfect scoring conditions to post 25 under in what remains the lowest winning score to par in the tournament's history.
- Andy Sullivan is aiming to become the first player to successfully defend the Portugal Masters title. Nine different winners have triumphed over the last nine years – Webster and Sullivan are the first and last winners, with Alvaro Quiros, Lee Westwood, Richard Green, Tom Lewis, Shane Lowry, David Lynn and Alexander Levy completing the list
- In 2011, Tom Lewis claimed victory in just his third start as a professional, while two years ago Frenchman Alexander Levy won in just 36 holes after the tournament was curtailed due to inclement weather
- After winning the tournament in 2008, Alvaro Quiros cemented his love for the place by making Vilamoura his home, and the big-hitting Spaniard – one of the few players to reach the green in two on the 589-yard 17th hole – is still attached to the Victoria Clube de Golfe to this day
- Lee Westwood’s victory in 2009 acted as a springboard for his subsequent return to European golf’s summit, as he won the Race to Dubai six weeks later following his victory in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
- A home win has proved elusive so far, but Portuguese players have enjoyed a degree of success. José-Filipe Lima finished in a tie for 21st on his debut in 2007, and Ricardo Santos – who is attached to the Victoria Clube de Golfe – claimed a top 20 finish in 2012
- A total of eight players have competed in all nine previous editions of the tournament - Alvaro Quiros, Damien McGrane, Robert Rock, Anthony Wall, Søren Kjeldsen, Graeme Storm, Raphaël Jacquelin and Marcel Siem.
