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The opening tournament of the 2026 Mid-Amateur & Senior Circuit took place this weekend on the O’Connor Jr. Course at Amendoeira Golf Resort, one of Portugal’s most popular golf resorts. The event demonstrated once again why the Algarve is such a popular destination for competitive golf and golf holidays year-round.

Marta Lampreia (Quinta do Peru) dominated the women’s event, which had 19 players. She had a good final round of 77 strokes (+5) to claim both the Mid-Amateur and Senior titles.

Lampreia finished 12 strokes clear of Madalena Costa Macedo (Belas), capping a superb one-two finish in both categories. Their achievements demonstrated the excellent quality of amateur golf currently prevalent in Portugal.

Pedro Sá Lima (Vale Pisão) won the Mid-Amateur Gross championship with a score of 143 strokes (-1) against 69 competitors in the men’s field. He narrowly defeated Bruno Rosendo (Aroeira), who came second with 144 strokes (par).

Scott Blackshear (Palmares) won the Senior category with a score of 154 (+10) strokes. José Melão Silveira (Royal Óbidos) finished second, just one stroke behind.

Events like this help to strengthen the Algarve’s position as a top destination for golf holidays in Portugal, with outstanding courses, professional-level conditions, and a climate that allows golf to be played all year. Resorts like Amendoeira Golf Resort combine great layouts with first-rate facilities, making them popular for both competitions and leisure golf holidays.

The Mid-Amateur & Senior Circuit resumes with its next competition on February 7-8 at Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club, another well-known destination for golfers considering vacations in Portugal.

The PT Tour, known as the Portuguese international professional golf circuit, has made its official schedule for 2026. There will be ten tournaments during the season, which will run from early January to March. The last one will be the Optilink Tour Championship. The PT Tour is becoming an important winter circuit for professionals and high-level amateurs, with a total prize of 105,000 euros.

The season will start in January at two famous courses in Vilamoura, which is in the municipality of Loulé. It will end in March at PGA Aroeira Lisboa, close to Lisbon. There will be 10,000 euros in prize money for each of the nine Opens, and the final tournament will have 15,000 euros in prize money. At the end of the season, there will be a top-ranked player for both men and women.
The results of the PT Tour show how strong it is. Many players who spend the winter playing in Portugal, especially in the Algarve, go on to do well on international tours. Long-term sponsorships, strong ties with the Portuguese Golf Federation and PGA Portugal, and a new deal with the Capdeville Consulting Tournament, which will return in 2026 after a successful first year, all help the circuit.

Promoter José Correia says that the 2026 season will have more different courses, consistently high playing standards, new partnerships, and more people playing. The Portuguese Golf Federation also talked about how important the PT Tour is as a fantastic way to start the season, since it lets amateur and professional golfers from around the world compete before the big European tours start.

Daniel da Costa Rodrigues, who won the 2025 Order of Merit, is one of the most successful players in the past few years. He earned his spot on the DP World Tour after doing well on the PT Tour. He now competes with Ricardo Melo Gouveia. Rodrigues has talked openly about how important the PT Tour was for his growth, saying it was the best way to get into a competitive rhythm early in the year.

There are many different challenges on the 2026 schedule. The PT Tour also strongly supports the growth of players. The Open de Portugal will take place later at PGA Aroeira Lisboa, where the season concludes. This gives players valuable experience at a major tournament site.

The PT Tour also really wants players to get better. Federation agreements give amateur players access, and the best players get invitations to professional events like the HotelPlanner Tour and the Ladies European Tour Access Series. In 2026, there will be new prizes, such as a wildcard for the best international player in the Capdeville Consulting Tournament.

The PT Tour keeps showing why Portugal is such a wonderful place for competitive golf. The courses are excellent, the organisation is strong, and the winter weather is better than in most other countries. Portugal is once again the centre of European winter golf in the 2026 season, from Vilamoura to Lisbon.

The Algarve will be the main event on the global golf calendar after the PGA TOUR Champions announced a new five-year deal to bring a professional tournament to Portugal. The Portugal Invitational is a historic event for golf in Vilamoura and the country as a whole. Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal, and Turismo do Algarve support it. Portugal will host an individual strokeplay event for the first time, organised by the PGA Tour. This will help solidify its reputation as a top golf destination in Europe.

The Els Club Vilamoura will host the Portugal Invitational from July 31 to August 2, 2026. There will be 78 players in the tournament, including members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, stars of the PGA TOUR Champions, and a few players from the Legends Tour. The event will bring in some of the biggest names in the sport and put Vilamoura in the international spotlight with a prize pool of $3 million. The tournament is also part of a three-week stretch of top-level senior golf in Europe, between the ISPS Handa Senior Open and the Staysure Senior PGA Championship.

Ernie Els designed the Els Club Vilamoura, which is an important part of this story. The course was called Dom Pedro Victoria before it hosted the Portugal Masters on the DP World Tour from 2007 to 2022. Champions like Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington played there. The new layout is based on Els’ idea of a balanced but difficult test, with world-class practice facilities to back it up. Els says that seeing the course chosen for a PGA TOUR Champions event shows that the design was meant to be ambitious and that Vilamoura can host golf at the highest level.

This news makes golf in Vilamoura even more appealing to fans and golfers who travel. The destination is already known for having a lot of great golf courses. It has championship golf, golden beaches, an award-winning marina, great food, and easy access to real Algarve experiences. The Ria Formosa lagoons, local seafood traditions, and the historic town of Loulé are all nearby and offer more than just golf.

Arrow Global Group sees the Portugal Invitational as a big step towards its long-term goal of making Vilamoura a world-class golf and lifestyle destination. Continued investment in hotels, marina infrastructure, improved golf courses, and future projects like a country club and beach club show that the goal is to bring in visitors all year round. Tourism leaders at both the national and regional levels have also talked about how the event will help the Algarve become more visible around the world, be more sustainable, and grow its economy.

The GOLF Channel will show all three rounds of the Portugal Invitational live, and people in more than 170 countries will be able to watch it. The tournament will also have Legends Tour players thanks to the partnership between the PGA TOUR and the European Tour Group. Expectations are high for a historic event now that Todd Rhinehart has been named Tournament Director. He has decades of experience with the PGA TOUR.

Vilamoura golf courses still have one of the best mixes of quality, variety, and atmosphere in Europe for golfers who want to plan a trip based on this news. This part of the Algarve is starting a new chapter, whether you’re coming to watch the legends or play the same fairways. You can find customised options in our Vilamoura golf holidays collection.