The European Tour brings the curtain down on a nine-week stretch on European soil this week with the ninth edition of the Portugal Masters at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course.
After the success of the British Masters supported by Sky Sports in England last week, another impressive international field will assemble in Vilamoura for the last Race to Dubai event in Europe in 2015 prior to the Final Series.
With only two events remaining of the regular season before the Final Series kicks in, vital Race to Dubai points will be at stake for those players battling to finish the season inside the top 110 to keep their cards for the 2016 campaign, while others will be aiming to improve their position in order to qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
In terms of the title itself, Frenchman Alexander Levy will be aiming to become the first player to successful defend the Portugal Masters after his triumph over 36 holes 12 months ago. Levy was declared the champion after the third and final round was cancelled, with the event having already been reduced to 54 holes due to heavy rain.
There will be a strong field hoping to deny him a successful defence, with four Major Champions, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington, Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, included in the field, while Kaymer is joined by a further two teammates from the 2014 European Ryder Cup team - Denmark’s Thomas Bjørn, and Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher.
The home challenge will be led by rising star Ricardo Gouveia, who has been making a name for himself on the European Challenge Tour.
Gouveia is currently second in the Road to Oman Rankings after one win and nine further top ten finishes on the Challenge Tour this season, and he will be looking to emulate compatriot Ricardo Santos who won on The European Tour in the 2012 Madeira Islands Open.
Santos, who was born in Faro and currently lives in Vilamoura, will also shoulder the expectations of the home crowd as he chases a second victory on home soil.
