Five things to know as the European Tour heads to Vilamoura for the latest edition of the Portugal Masters
The 15th edition of the Portugal Masters
Originally set to be played in May, the rescheduled Portugal Masters returns to Vilamoura for the 15th edition of the event.
The tournament will be staged on the Arnold Palmer designed Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, which opened in 2004 and has been the venue for every edition of the event since 2007. It was also the host venue for the 2005 World Cup Championship, which was won by Wales (Bradley Dredge and Stephen Dodd).
Coetzee defends
South Africa’s George Coetzee secured his fifth European Tour title - and his first on Europeean soil – at the 2020 Portugal Masters.
The 35 year old produced a short game masterclass on his way to a bogey free 66 that helped him to hold off a stellar chasing pack on Sunday.
With his two shot victory, Coetzee became the first South African to win the event, and now returns aiming to become the first player to lift the trophy on multiple occasions.
He will get the defence of his title under way from the 10th tee at 8am local time on Thursday alongside three-time Major winner, 2020 European Ryder Cup Captain and 2016 Portugal Masters champion Padraig Harrington, and Dane Nicolai Højgaard, who won his first European Tour title at this season’s DS Automobiles Italian Open.
A history of low scoring
Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course and the Portugal Masters have witnessed some of the lowest rounds of golf in European Tour history.
The most memorable round belongs to Oli Fisher, who became the first person in European Tour history to record a sub-60 round in 2018. The Englishman carded ten birdies and an eagle in his bogey-free 12 under par 59, with a tap-in par on the final hole all that was required to sign his name into the European Tour history books.
Two players have also joined the exclusive 60-club at Dom Pedro Victoria, with Scott Jamieson and Nicolas Colsaerts both achieving the feat in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Roll of Honour
The Portugal Masters has been staged every year since 2007, with champions hailing from seven different countries throughout the tournament’s history.
The list of past winners is impressive , and includes Major champions Harrington and Shane Lowry as well as former World Number One and reigning Race to Dubai champion Lee Westwood.
In addition to Coetzee and Harrington, the former winners in the field this week are Lucas Bjerregaard, Alex Levy, Alvaro Quiros, Andy Sullivan and Steven Brown.
Pitch perfect from the 2012 winner @ShaneLowryGolf 🎯#PortugalMasters #TourArchive pic.twitter.com/DzamKfwmHp
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 3, 2021
The penultimate counting event
The Portugal Masters is the penultimate counting event on the 2021 Race to Dubai, with next week’s AVIV Dubai Championship the final event to determine the 110 players who will retain their membership for the 2022 season, before the season ends at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai. With 12 players currently counted as “in addition” to the 110, the PROVISIONAL cut off at the moment is 122nd position.
A new Top 110 from the Race to Dubai will be recognised for 2022, as will the Top 20 on the European Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings.
However, there is a slight change this year in that no current Ranked Member will lose their Membership. Those existing Ranked Members not making the Top 110 will be re-ranked based on the 2021 Race to Dubai, but with safety nets established within the structure to restrict movement downwards within the category system.
