Portugal Masters Preview

The European Tour is on the Algarve this week for the Portugal Masters at the Oceânico Victoria course in Vilamoura. Defending champion Lee Westwood has withdrawn through injury though a strong field has assembled.

Lee Westwood won in 2009
Fergus Bisset
By
published

Lowdown: The European Tour is on the Algarve this week for the Portugal Masters at the Oceânico Victoria course in Vilamoura. Defending champion Lee Westwood has withdrawn through injury though a strong field has assembled. This is the fourth time the Portugal Masters has been contested on the European Tour and the event will feature four members of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team. The Molinari brothers, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ross Fisher will tee it up in Vilamoura. Speaking at last week's Dunhill Links Championship, Fisher is hoping for a good showing on the Algarve to improve his position on the Race to Dubai, he's currently 13th. "My attention has switched back to The Race to Dubai now, definitely," he said. "I finished fourth last year and it would be disappointing not to finish better than that this season. I've obviously got a bit of work to do in order to achieve that but I've got some big tournaments coming up so it's not over yet." The Victoria is one of Oceânico's five courses in Vilamoura. Opened for play in 2000, it was designed by Arnold Palmer. It's an American-style track with generous fairways and large, rolling greens. In 2005 the course hosted the World Cup, won by Wales

Venue: Oceânico Victoria course, Vilamoura Date: Oct 14-17 Course stats: par 72, 7,231 yards Purse: €3,000,000 Winner: €500,000 Defending Champion: Lee Westwood (-23)

TV Coverage: Thursday 14 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 11.30am Friday 15 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 11.30am Saturday 16 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 2pm Sunday 17 - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 2pm

Player Watch: Edoardo Molinari - The top ranked player in the field this week, Molinari has moved his game to a new level this year. The Italian seems to feature in every tournament he enters at the moment.

Alvaro Quiros - A former winner of this event, Quiros showed signs of good form in last week's Dunhill Links Championship, finishing 5th. With his length he could take this course apart if he fires on all cylinders.

David Howell - GM's playing editor had a good finish in St Andrews and seems to be slowly working his way back towards being competitive. He could just spring a surprise this week. Key hole: 18th. At 463 yards this is a fabulous finishing hole. Water waits all the way up the left side from the tee and it continues to play a part in the approach. Anything coming up short or straying left will end up wet. A par here is a tough ask, particularly if you have a one-shot lead on Sunday afternoon.

Skills required: Putting. Lee Westwood won last year with a total of 23-under-par and there were 44 players who finished 10-under of better. The top players won't find the course overly taxing so it's on the greens where this tournament will be decided.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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