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"GOLF IN PORTUGAL" - NEWSLETTER - Nº 67
Welcome to the August
2007 edition of the monthly "Golf in Portugal" Newsletter.
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The "LUCKY GOLFER" Prize
Each month 10 names are randomly selected from all
golfers that have used our online Booking Form. From
these 10 golfers a second draw is made for the winner of the
prize sponsored by Hotels Le Meridien ***** in the Algarve. The
monthly prize includes a standard "weekend break accommodation"
with breakfast for two in the Hotel specified, together with a
round of golf for two guests on the course attached to the Hotel.
All of the 10 golfers of each month will be listed in our
Newsletter and notified by separate e-mail that they now qualify
for the annual Grand Draw. In the Grand Draw one person will be
the “Lucky Golfer” and receive from our own site
www.algarvegolf.net a sum of € 2.000,00. The money can be
spent in an Algarve Hotel of the winner’s choice, on green fees,
or, a combination of both.
The 10 nominated golfers for the month of August are entered
in the "Grand Draw" at the end of 2007:
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Beryl Williams - Harry Levy - John Russell - Kenneth Steven -
Michael Baker - Michael Cawley - Michael Taylor - Noreen Keeling
- Russ Bennett - Sue Lonsdale
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The August winner of the prize sponsored by
"Le Meridien Hotel Dona Filipa ***** & San
Lorenzo Golf Course" is:
John Russell
An e-mail notifying the winner has been sent.
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Algarve News
Despite the throngs of sun and beach tourists that crowd the Algarve every
August, there were also quite a respectable number of visiting golfers out
on both the full-size and par-3 courses this year as the average
temperatures were much more congenial, being lower than that we are normally
accustomed in the height of summer.
In the 90s a series of annual golf matches were held between fans of four of
the major football clubs in Portugal, Benfica, Sporting, Selecção and
Sporting. Unfortunately these were discontinued due to lack of a solid
financial sponsor. Happily for all concerned, the Hotel Grande Real Santa
Eulália & Spa in Albufeira have combined with a few other sponsors and have
this year revived this previous popular summer event. A total of 188 golfing
fans from all over Portugal, including some foreign residents, took part in
a keenly contested four-ball match-play competition organised by Double
Eagle and Golfocus magazines. The match ended in a 29-18 point rout by the
Benfica 'reds' over their staunch green-and-white Sporting rivals. We hope
that the same sponsors can be counted on for their support for the coming
years.
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Vilamoura Golf Club's traditional summer school
for youngsters under 18 was held in July and August, culminating in
tournaments held on 24th-25th August. Coordinated by club vice-chairman
Jorge Batista and conducted by the club's five teaching pros, the course was
attended by close to 200 children and youths. Surprisingly, the start to the
final day's programme was delayed for about two hours due to an extremely
unusual thunderstorm, for August at least – the effects of global warming? |
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Various competitions are held, on the putting-green for pure beginners and
the very young; 5-hole ones for the young ones with some experience; up to a
36-hole stroke-play event over two days for the low handicappers. A few of
the former Vilamoura club academy pupils are now turned professional such as
the brothers Ricardo and Hugo Santos who have played in PGA EuroPro and a
few Challenge Tour events, António Rosado, a player on the PGA of Portugal
tour, as well as Inder van Weerelt - a Challenge Tour regular
The Seve Ballesteros designed Quinta do Vale course near Castro Marim in the
extreme east of the Algarve alongside the Guadiana River separating the
Algarve and Andalusia is due to be ready for play in the next few months.
Over-seeding with cool season grass on the Bermuda fairways has been carried
out recently. Similar to the course opened in 2004 on Porto Santo Island
that Seve also designed, Quinta do Vale has an equal number of six par-3,
par-4 and par-5 holes.
Europe's finest young amateurs participated in the "Portugal Nations
Cup" which was held at Vale do Lobo on the Royal and Ocean Courses.
Fourteen selected teams from their respected countries fought each other
over three rounds with the English team taking first prize and Ireland in
second.
The 13º Caniço Prainha Cup was held on the Penina Championship Course near
Portimão. This annual shot-gun event is basically by invitation only and
this year the field was composed of 88 golfers. The Caniço Cup was won by
Marta Lampreia, Portugal's national champion lady player. The Prainha Cup
was won by Sean Corte Real.
In September, Boavista Golf Club near Lagos which recently inaugurated its
new Club House building, is staging an amateur team event for charity in aid
of three institutions that take care of orphans, handicapped children and
those with learning difficulties. Twenty firms and organisations are helping
to sponsor the competition, and after the prize-giving the club is holding
an auction for valuable prizes in its new Club House to boost the charity
fund-raising efforts.
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Lisbon & North & Islands
90 players participated in the Lexus Trophy held on the Oporto Club Course
near Porto. José Carlos Sousa won with 42 points with Mandim Lino taking
second place with 40 points. The Ladies segment was won by Cathy Leão.
The 1º Royal Caribbean Golf Trophy was held on the Penha Longa Course near
Estoril was won by Emílio Fernandes with 27 points. Maria Cristina Matos won
the net with 37 points.
On Madeira Island in the TMN Tournament held on the Santo da Serra Course,
Kimberley Camacho and June Maul carried off the top prize with 65 net
strokes. Two pairs tied for second place with 67 net strokes; Nina
Haarguaard/Goretti Aveiro and Fernando Vieira/Francisco Gonçalves. On Porto
Santo Course a serious of tournaments are held in August which are
successfully attracting players.
In the very north on the Ponte de Lima Course, a round of the Spanish
"Copa de Ora de Galicia" series, brought together 112 Portuguese
and Spanish players. José Casimiro Lima with 41 points took the net prize
with Vasco Garcia Costa in second place.
The young Portuguese player Pedro Figueiredo took second place in the
Amateur International Championship held on the Basel Golf Course in
Switzerland. Pedro who plays at the Quinta do Perú near Lisbon was tied in
first place with Sean Einhaus and Pierre Relecom. In the play-off he lost
due to a bogey on a Par 3.
The Miramar Course held its in-house tournament to establish its 2007
champions. Jorge Abreu won the Mens, Susana Mendes Ribeiro won the Ladies
and Francisco Almeida won the Juniors.
International News
Tiger Woods as the World Number One captured another win the World Golf
Championships - Bridgestone Invitational for the sixth time at Firestone
Country Club, Ohio. An eight stroke victory over England’s Justin Rose
and Rory Sabatini of South Africa. Woods extended his lead over Jim
Furyk to 11.52 average points in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Sweden's Per-Ulrik Johansson claimed his first European Tour title for a
decade with a six stroke victory in the Russian Open to climb 633 places
to 253rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. Another winner was Magnus A
Carlsson at the Challenge of Ireland on the European Challenge Tour.
American Brandt Snedeker became the first rookie to win on the PGA Tour
this season with final round of nine-under-par 63 at Forest Oaks to win
the Wyndham Championship by two strokes from Tim Petrovic, Jeff Overton
and Billy Mayfair. Snedeker climbed to World Nº 55 with a rise of 25
places.
Mikko Ilonen from Finland claimed his second European Tour victory of the
year at the Scandinavian Masters played at Arlandastad GC in Stockholm,
Sweden. The win took Mikko Ilonen into Nº 71 position with a jump of 47
places.
Robert Dinwiddie won the Rolex Trophy, and Martin Wiegele won the Lexus
Open, both events on the European Challenge Tour and Brent Schwarzrock
at the Desjardins Montreal Open on the Canadian Tour.
Steve Stricker won The Barclays tournament at Westchester by two-strokes
over Korea's KJ Choi. This victory in the first of the PGA Tour Playoffs
for the Fedex Cup and placed Stricker at the top of the Fedex Cup Table.
This took him to Nº 5, a leap of 9 positions and 58 positions higher
than at the end of 2006 World Ranking.
Ross Fisher won the KLM Open with a birdie at the final hole for a
closing three under par 67 and a 12 under par 268 aggregate, taking the
title by a stroke from young Dutchman Joost Luiten. Fisher jumped 97
places to Nº 161.
Phil Mickelson climbed World Nº 2 with his two stroke victory at the
Deutsche Bank Championship, the second of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the
Fedex Cup at TPC Boston. The win took Mickelson to an average of 10.03
Ranking Points per event which is 12.40 behind Tiger Woods who finished
tied second along with Arron Oberholser and Brett Wetterich. The latter
two climbed to Numbers 22 and 27 respectively.
Scotland's Marc Warren picked up his second European Tour victory at
the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles after a play-off with
England's Simon Wakefield. Warren birdied the second extra hole to win
and moved to Nº 124 and a rise of 67 places.
That week's other winners were Iain Pyman at the ECCO Tour Championship
on the European Challenge Tour and Bret Guetz at the Canadian Tour
Championship.
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