DID YOU KNOW – MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN – PORTUGAL - BPI
• Ricardo Santos made history in claiming his maiden European Tour title in this event in 2012. He became the first Portuguese player to win a European Tour event on home soil. Indeed, the only other player from Portugal to win a European tour event was Daniel Silva at the 1992 Jersey Open.
• When Des Smyth won the 2001 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal - BPI he created European Tour history by becoming the oldest winner of a European Tour event, aged 48 and 34 days. He held this record for over 11 years until Miguel Angel Jiménez, won the 2012 UBS Hong Kong Open, aged 48 years and 318 days.
• Estanislao Goya became the youngest Argentine to win on The European Tour International Schedule, when he triumphed in 2009. He was 20 years and 294 days.
• The 2014 Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI had the distinction of being the 1,500th official European Tour event.
• The 2014 event was curtailed to 36 holes due to bad weather, with an 18 hole cut. It was only the second time in European Tour history that an event has witnessed an 18 hole cut. The first was the 1984 Monte Carlo Open.
• On his way to victory in 2003, Bradley Dredge shot the lowest round in the history of the tournament – a 12 under par score of 60 in the third round. He eventually won by eight shot- the largest winning margin in the event’s history.
• Madeira has been a happy hunting ground for Sweden, having recorded five victories in the event. They are: Mars Lanner (1994, 98), Jarmo Sandelin (1996), Niclas Fasth (2000) and Christopher Hanell (2004). Only the Nordea Masters, with six wins has witnessed more Swedish victories in the same European Tour tournament.
• Madeira has proved a fruitful for first-time winners. Since the event began in 1993, there have been 11 players claim their maiden European Tour victory here. They are: Santiago Luna (1995), Pedro Linhart (1999), Niclas Fasth (2000), Bradley Dredge (2003), Christopher Hanell (2004), Daniel Vancsik (2007), Estanislao Goya (2009), James Morrison (2010), Ricardo Santos (2012), Peter Uihlein (2013) and Daniel Brooks (2014).
