Several of Europe’s best golfers will be travelling to the Algarve next week for the 16th edition of the Portugal Masters, which will take place between October 27 and 30 at Vilamoura’s Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.
It will be the 16th consecutive edition of the tournament, which became part of the DP World Tour in 2007, and has been held on the Dom Pedro Victoria Course since its first edition.
According to the organisers, the €2 million event will conclude a four-event late season ‘Iberian Swing’, with the Portugal Masters following three consecutive weeks in Spain comprising the Acciona Open de España presented by Madrid (October 6-9), Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters (October 13-16) and the Mallorca Golf Open (October 20-23).
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters won the Portugal Masters title last year and is looking to repeat the performance this year.
“I’m very excited to return to Vilamoura next month,” said Pieters, cited by the official European Tour website. “I’m really proud of last year’s victory and how I closed the tournament out. It had been a little while between wins but my caddie Adam and I had worked really hard during those two years, so it felt like it was a title that we really deserved.
“The Portugal Masters will be my final event of the season as my partner and I are expecting our second child in November, so I’m hoping to finish my year on a high note. With Ryder Cup points now up for grabs, there’s an added incentive to perform well in each event we play as I would love to have the opportunity to represent Europe again.”
There will also be a wealth of young talent competing in Vilamoura.
Last year’s runner-up Nicolai Højgaard will be joined by his twin brother Rasmus as the pair seek a sixth DP World Tour title between them.
Rasmus has three titles to his name, but Nicolai is the most recent winner of the two with his victory at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship earlier this year, his second professional victory.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Portugal next week,” said the 21-year-old Nicolai. “I have good memories from last year’s tournament and although I was disappointed at the time to finish second, I took a lot of positives from how I played in that final round. I can’t wait to get back and I would love to go one step further this year.”
Also joining them in Vilamoura will be Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who won his second DP World Tour title last month at the DS Automobiles Italian Open – held at the host venue of next year’s Ryder Cup and Frenchman Victor Perez, who won the Dutch Open in May.
Meanwhile, Vilamoura World CEO, João Brion Sanches, has highlighted the importance of hosting the prestigious tournament once more.
“For us it is an honour to host an event of this international magnitude in Vilamoura,” he said, stressing the tournament’s 15-year history.
“The truth is that we can feel proud about the quality and diversity of the existing golf courses which contribute to the consolidation of the region as a prestigious destination,” Sanches added.
Tickets are on sale with single day tickets priced at €20 for adults and €10 for youths. Children aged 12 or under can accompany a paying adult for free.
