European Senior Tour 2014 returns to Portugal

Tee Times Portugal Golf - European Senior Tour 2014 - Vidago Palace - 12-14 September 2014

Tee Times Portugal Golf – European Senior Tour 2014 – Vidago Palace – 12-14 September 2014

Tee Times Portugal Golf – European Senior Tour 2014 returns to Portugal – Vidago PalaceOporto – 12th to 14th September ’14

The European Senior Tour will return to Portugal for the first time since 2011 when Vidago Palace hosts the Senior Open de Portugal, from September 12-14.

The luxurious hotel and golf resort, situated north of Porto, re-opened in 2010 on the centenary of its inauguration in 1910.

The 6,899 yard, par 72 course at Vidago Palace was built in 1936 and originally designed by MacKenzie Ross before undergoing a redesign from golf architecture firm Cameron & Powell in 2010.

A key feature of the course is the use throughout of the local pink granite stone walling, built using redundant and disused field walls from the area which have were salvaged for the project.

It will now host a Senior Tour event for the first time following an agreement with Porto and the Northern Portugal Tourism Board (Associação do Turismo do Porto), with the field competing for a prize fund of €225,000.

Tee Times Portugal Golf - European Senior Tour - Vidago Palace - 12-14 September 2014

Tee Times Portugal Golf – European Senior Tour – Vidago Palace – 12-14 September 2014

The Senior Open de Portugal last featured on the Senior Tour schedule three years ago, when Welshman Mark Mouland triumphed at Belas Clube de Campo, near Lisbon, with former World Number One Ian Woosnam among those in contention during the final round.

In total, the Senior Tour has visited Portugal eight times, while the Senior Tour Qualifying School has been played on the Algarve since 2001.

Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “The European Senior Tour has an excellent, long-standing relationship with Portugal, established over many years through various regular tournaments as well as our annual Qualifying School, so we are delighted to return with this exciting event.

“This is the first time we have held an event in the northern region of Portugal and we are sure the magnificent Vidago Palace will prove a hugely popular venue with our players and staff, as well as the spectators.

“We would like to express our gratitude to Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism Board (Associação do Turismo do Porto – ATP) for their significant support, while this tournament would not have happened without the ambition and drive of the people at Vidago Palace.”

Helena Gonçalves, Associação do Turismo do Porto Executive-Director, said: “An initiative like this has never been properly established in this region before. The Tourism Board will do its utmost to promote this event, as the success of this event will help showcase Porto and north Portugal as a perfect golf destination in Portugal, exploring the very best we have to offer. This includes four World Heritages Sites by UNESCO, historical cities, rivers, the ocean, mountains, a perfect blend of old and new, authentic traditions and genuine people, the home of Port Wine, excellent gastronomy and wines, safety and security, traditional and cool shopping, culture at its best, and absolute value for money.”

Vidago Palace’s Golf Director, Alexandre Barroso, said: “Two years ago a small group of hotels, five 18’s Holes Golf Courses and a service company joined together, with the support of Tourism Board of Porto and North, to showcase this region internationally, and this tournament is another major step forward for us.”

“The Senior Open de Portugal will help accelerate this process, and at the same time will give the Vidago Palace the opportunity to put itself among the best golf resorts in Europe. The major works we undertook from 2006 to 2010, which saw a total reconstruction of the hotel and golf course, placed Vidago Palace as a unique Resort. I like to say now that it is a new hotel with more than 100 years of history.”

In addition to the 2011 Belas Clube de Campo Senior Open de Portugal, the country has also hosted the Daily Telegraph European Seniors Match Play Championship in 2001 and 2002, the Senior Tour Championship from 2002-2004, the Senior Open of Portugal in 2005 and 2006, and the 2008 Azores Senior Open.

Source: europeantour.com, vidagopalace.com.

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Tee Times Portugal Golf: National Club Championship – Vilamoura Men’s Champion

Tee Times Portugal Golf: National Club Championship Solverde – Vilamoura Men’s Three-time Champion – Miramar makes history in Women’s.

15th Title in the history of the Algarves’s Vilamoura Golf Club and the 1st for the Club from Gaia in women’s. Oporto, playing at home, guaranteed the 3rd place in men’s and Quinta do Fojo the 3rd place in women’s.

The Vilamoura Golf Club, on the men’s tournament, and the Miramar Golf Club, in the female, confirmed the favoritism that was given to them in the start of the National Club Championship Solverde and imposed themselves on the finals of yesterday (Sunday the 24th August ’14).

Both the Algarve’s as well as the golfers from Gaia had won the first round of the tournament in stroke play and in the last three days also dominated in match play. Were therefore unquestionable victories, achieved in this 51st edition of the competition that the Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG) organized in Oporto Golf Club in Espinho.

In the Nini Guedes de Queiroz Cup (the women’s tournament) it was made history in the competition because Miramar had never put his name on the trophy. Miramar defeated the champions of last year, the Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club, for an enlightening 4-1. 

In Visconde de Pereira Machado Cup (men’s), Vilamoura prevented Miramar from becoming the third club to achieve the “double” by winning an even more overwhelming 5.5-1.5. It was the 3rd consecutive title for Vilamoura and the 15th title in their history, and is just one less of the national record of 16 for Club de Golf do Estoril

The last round, which started with fog and the temperature a little lower but at the end with sun and a little wind, decided the other classifications of the tournament. The other results, in addition to the end are as follows:

Nini Guedes de Queiroz Cup (women’s tournament): Quinta do Fojo Golf – Golf Club of Paço do Lumiar, 3.5 – 1.5. This result dictated the 3rd place of Quinta do Fojo and the 4th place of Paço do Lumiar.

Visconde de Pereira Machado Cup (men’s): Oporto Golf Club – Quinta do Peru, 5 – 2; Lisbon Sports ClubClub de Golf do Estoril, 3 – 2; Belas Clube de CampoOporto B, 3 – 2; Club Golf Terceira Island – Club Golf Center, 4-1; Quinta do Peru B – Oitavos Dunes, 5-0 (by forfeit of the Oitavos team).

Source: FPG (Portuguese Golf Federation)

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World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational

Tee Times Golf - World Golf Championships - Bridgestone Invitational - McIlroy on topt of the world

Tee Times Golf – World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational – McIlroy on top of the world

Tee Times Golf – World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational – McIlroy on top of the world after pipping Garcia

McIlroy turned a three shot deficit into a two shot lead within the space of five holes in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, before Garcia battled back to leave the pair tied heading into the back nine at Firestone Country Club.

Garcia had played the same back nine in just 27 shots in his second round of 61, but it was McIlroy who came out on top two days later in a tense duel, the 25 year old carding a closing 66 to finish 15 under par.

After 16 birdies in the first three rounds Garcia could only manage one in a closing 71 to finish 13 under.

“What I am really proud of this week is following on from The Open with a performance like this,” McIlroy, only the second European winner of the title after Darren Clarke in 2003, said.

“I said straight after I did not want any let down, I wanted to keep going and performing until the end of the season.

“It’s great to come to one of my favourite tournaments of the year and to perform like this I am pretty satisfied.”

McIlroy pulled his opening drive into the rough but had a gap through the trees and hit a superb low pitch to three feet, while Garcia had to settle for a par by two-putting from long range.

Three-time Major winner McIlroy then two-putted from long range on the par five second for another birdie and also birdied the third to take over the lead as Garcia bogeyed, but that did not tell half the story of an amazing hole.

The decisive moment then came on the par three 15th, where Garcia’s tee-shot left of the green left him with a near-impossible pitch over a bunker and led to a bogey four.

That gave McIlroy a two shot lead with three to play and when Garcia failed to convert a birdie chance from ten feet on the 17th his chance had gone.

Source: europeantour.com

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P.S.: Did you know that both McIlroy and Garcia have played on Algarve‘s Oceanico Victoria Golf Course.