Amendoeira Golf Resort

Leonor Bessa first woman winner of the PGA Portugal Tour

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Leonor Bessa first woman winner of the PGA Portugal Tour

Leonor Bessa, Photo: Carla Guerreiro / PGA Portugal

Leonor Bessa winner of the PGA Portugal Tour

December 1st, 2020, entered in the history of national golf as the first time that a woman won a mixed tournament on the PGA Portugal Tour, the Portuguese Professional Circuit.

The national champion defeated her boyfriend Tomás Melo Gouveia in the play-off at Amendoeira Golf Resort, in the center of the Algarve and a unique natural beauty with the award-winning Faldo Course, designed by Sir Nick Faldo and the challenging O’Connor Jnr course.

Leonor Bessa is the author of this accomplishment ended the calendar of high competition in Portugal in the 2020 season.

Leonor Bessa had already won both women’s tournaments, in July and September, and is, therefore, the current national professional champion and absolute national champion. This most recent triumph maintained her invincibility internally and had a special impact for the historical record.

The 22-year-old Portuguese totalled 67 strokes, 5 below the Par of O’Connor Jr. Golf Course at Amendoeira Golf Resort, thanks to an exceptional round, unique in her professional career, as she had never made 18 competitive holes without suffering bogeys and converted 5 birdies.

The title decision was played at hole 18, where Tomás had even made a birdie and Leonor had matched the Par-4. Therefore, none played particularly well and it was with 1 bogey that the national champion took over her third title of the year.

A “sudden death”, at least curious and unusual, because Leonor Bessa and Tomás Melo Gouveia started dating this year and often train together in Algarve golf courses, such as: Vilamoura Pinhal, Vilamoura Millennium, Vilamoura Laguna, Vilamoura Old Course, Vilamoura Victoria as well as in Vale do Lobo Royal & Ocean, San Lorenzo & Pinheiros Altos and Quinta do Lago North, South & Laranjal, a region where they both reside and full of wonderful accommodation offers for an unforgettable golf holiday, we highlight the 5 star Hotels, Tivoli Marina Vilamoura, Crowne Plaza as well as the 4 star Hotels, Vila Galé Ampalius, Vila Galé Marina, Dom Pedro Vilamoura & Dom Pedro Marina.

Besides boyfriends, Tomás was Leonor’s caddy in tournaments of the Spanish Santander Golf Tour at the Real Golf Pedreña and at Oliva Nova Golf (Valencia) and she was also a caddy of him in a European Tour tournament, so the normal thing is to pull each other and not directly rival each other.

Her international season was also positive, ending, for the first time, in the top 10 (7th) of the Santander Golf Tour ranking, the Spanish professional circuit.

But the great achievement of this PGA Portugal Open was to meet for the first time this year, in the same tournament counting only for internal rankings, Tomás Bessa (-4), the national champion of professionals, who competes in the Alps Tour Golf; Ricardo Melo Gouveia (-3), the absolute national champion, who fights on the Challenge Tour; and Pedro Lencart (Par), the national amateur champion. In 2020 this happened only in the Portuguese tournaments of the European Tour and in this event.

The top-10 of the PGA Portugal Open 2020, held at the O’Connor Jr. Golf Course at Amendoeira Golf Resort, was as follows:

1st Leonor Bessa, 67 strokes (5 under par), (play-off victory), tee off from the blue marks;

2nd Tomás Melo Gouveia, 67 (-5), white marks;

3rd Tomás Bessa, 68 (-4), white marks;

3rd Miguel Gaspar, 68 (-4), white marks;

5. Ricardo Melo Gouveia, 69 (-3), white marks;

5th Tomás Silva, 69 (-3), white marks;

7th Susana Ribeiro, 71 (-1), blue marks;

7th Vítor Lopes, 71 (-1), white marks;

7th Alexandre Abreu, 71 (-1), white marks;

7th Pedro Cruz Silva, 71 (-1), amateur, white marks;

Tee Times Golf Agency congratulates Leonor Bessa on her success and wishes her many more achievements in her bright future, as well as, to all our clients, unforgettable golf holidays in our country that we will be happy to organize.

Source: Hugo Ribeiro / Tee Times Golf (teetimes.pt) for Record

Susana Ribeiro praised Golf Santander before playing the Spanish Open in Guadalmina

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Golf Santander

Golf Santander

Golf Santander

Susana Ribeiro will close her international season at the Spanish Open, the 600,000 euro prize money tournament, the last event on the Ladies European Tour (LET) 2020 calendar, from November 26th to the 29th, at the Real Club De Golf Guadalmina.

She will play the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open De España for the third year in a row and last year she made the cut for the first time in a LET event, finishing in 32th, with 2 strokes over Par.

“I got the confirmation that I will play the Spanish Open in the last week of November. Soon after, I will play the PGA of Portugal tournament at Amendoeira Golf Resort and if there is the Manuel Agrellos Cup – which is not yet confirmed – I will also play it. That’s the rest of the season for me”, Susana Ribeiro told Tee Times Golf, exclusively for Record newspaper.

The 30-year-old Portuguese pro tied for 36th (out of 50 players) in the Santander Golf Tour Madrid tournament, the Spanish Professional Tour, where she usually plays.

This time, at the challenging Golf Santander, on the outskirts of the Spanish capital, the TaylorMade professional scored 158 strokes, 14 above the Par, after two rounds of 79. The best Portuguese player was the national champion Leonor Bessa, tied for 30th (+9).

Real Club De Golf Guadalmina

Real Club De Golf Guadalmina

Golf Santander is a private and exclusive golf course, almost reserved for employees of the financial group and special guests. In 2013, during a Fam Trip, I had the opportunity to play on that fantastic course and its security is extreme. I thought that one is entering another country when we access Cuidad de Santander.

“It is very exclusive – confirms Susana Ribeiro – and to enter we had to be on a list. We had to present our passports to be able to enter and the big advantage is that the course is in great shape, because very few people can play on it”.

“It is a long course and in this particular tournament it was even longer than in the other times in which I played there. It was also windy and cold, it had rained, not allowing the ball to roll a lot. There are lots of bunkers, on the fairways, around the greens, and they are large and deep. If one misses a green, for sure the ball will be in a a bunker”, she added.

“It is a very challenging course. I’ve played there several times and whenever I go there the course is in different conditions due to the weather. It can be very cold, very hot, too much wind or none, and the course is completely different. This time, the greens were very fast, at a speed of 12.5 or 13, something I am not used to and it was the main difficulty I found”.

With only 2 birdies in 36 holes and an aggregate of 14 strokes over Par, it is obvious that she was far from her best performance.

“The final score was quite bad, but I left the course with the feeling of not having played so badly. I am disappointed with the result, although I think my game is going in the right direction”, admitted the vice president of PGA Portugal and the PGA Tour commentator on Eurosport.

“I had a hard time making birdies, because the greens were too fast, I couldn’t find the right pace. The game around the green was also not easy. From the bunker it was difficult to make the ball stop by the flag, the ball just didn’t stop on those greens. On the second day I still created good opportunities, but I didn’t make any birdies” she sorrowed.

The Madrid tournament followed two Santander Golf Tour competitions that also counted for the Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS) and, therefore, some players from the second European division stayed another week in Spain to take advantage of this extra tournament. So, the field was stronger than usual on the Spanish Pro Tour.

“The field was very strong and we had more players on the course, more than usual in these Santander Golf Tour tournaments that are not co-sanction with the Ladies European Tour Access Series”, said Susana Ribeiro.

The Spanish amateur Ana Peláez won with a good score of 135 (69+66), -9 and Susana Ribeiro foresees her a bright future: “I had the pleasure of playing alongside the future winner on the first day and she played very well. She didn’t miss a shot, she had many opportunities for birdie, she was a fair winner, as she plays golf at another level. She told me that she was supposed to turn pro this year, but, with this COVID-19 situation, she decided to wait a little longer. Next year she will playing the Qualification School of the LPGA Tour (the American Pro Tour). This shows us how this player is stronger than the average Ladies European Tour Players. I am sure she will be very successful ”.

Hugo Ribeiro / Tee Times Golf (teetimes.pt) for Record newspaper

11th World Kids Golf

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World Kids Golf - Peter Hov, the 2019 World Kids Golf Champion, and Custódio Moreno from the IPDJ Algarve Delegation- Photo by Ramiro de Jesus

Peter Hov, the 2019 World Kids Golf Champion, and Custódio Moreno from the IPDJ Algarve Delegation. Photo by Ramiro de Jesus

World Kids Golf

Peter Hov Champion 5 Portuguese Titles

The Portuguese players had a blast at the 11th World Kids Golf, with five Portuguese titles among the 11 trophies in play at the Amendoeira Golf Resort in Silves, but the Norwegian Peter Hov was the champion of the oldest junior international golf tournament in Portugal.

Francisco Reis (Under-9), João Crasi Alves (Under-12), Inês Belchior (Under-12), Tomas Mician (Under-16) and Filipa Capelo (Under-18) were the Portuguese winners in the tournament organized by the Amendoeira Golf Resort, featuring 80 players from 14 countries.

Francisco Reis (Under 9) scored 61 stableford gross points and his first round of 5 under Par of the O’Connor Course was the best result among players from the purple tees.

The young player of Orizonte Lisbon Golf is the current No. 1 in the Drive Challenge Under-10 ranking in the Tagus Region. Francisco Reis won the four tournaments he played in 2019 in this junior tour of the Portuguese Golf Federation. But this time he faced only foreign rivals he beat by 13 points the Englishman Luke Walton.

Joao Crasi Alves scored 1 under the O’Connor Course Par, on both the first and third rounds (37 stableford gross points), and he was the only one of the 22 Under-12 players to surpass the 100 points (107 total).

World Kids Golf - Eleanor, the Under-10 Champion, and Mark Lichtenhein. Photo by Ramiro de Jesus

Eleanor, the Under-10 Champion, and Mark Lichtenhein. Photo by Ramiro de Jesus

The Vilamoura Golf Club player is also No. 1 in the Southern Drive Challenge Under-12 ranking, with three titles won. But even better, on the Drive Tour, the main FPG junior tour, he is No. 2 in the national ranking, with a tournament won at Penina. In the World Kids Golf, João Crasi Alves beat the Portuguese António Trindade by 8 points.

Inês Belchior – who, besides being a golfer, is also a softball athlete – earned her second World Kids Golf title. The Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club player had already the best at the U-10 in 2017. Last year she was runner-up in the Under-12 and now she has won the Under-12. On the second day she scored her best result, 9 over Par on the O’Connor Course, converting her only 2 birdies of the tournament.

Tomas Mician scored the best result of the whole tournament, with 11 strokes (gross) under the Faldo Course Par. His -8 second round was the tournament highlight. The Vilamoura Golf Club‘s Portuguese-Slovak played from the yellow marks and beat by 2 the Scottish Jamie Mann (-9), also from Vilamoura.

Nelson Cavalheiro, the PGA Portugal vice-president, said at the awards ceremony, regarding this boy’s Under-16 tournament: “These guys can really play.” And indeed, either of them played three consecutive rounds under Par!

Tomas Mician is the No. 1 FPG Drive Tour ranking in the Under-16, with titles at Penina, Ribagolfe and Belas. «I really wanted to win this World Kids Golf and it was a goal I wanted to achieve,» said the Portuguese with Slovakian parents.

World Kids Golf - Filipa Capelo U18 Champion. Photo by Carla Guerreiro

Filipa Capelo U18 Champion. Photo by Carla Guerreiro

Filipa Capelo said fairwell to one of her favorite tournaments. «It has a family atmosphere where I meet a lot of friends. My mother loves it because we stay here and she goes to the pool while I play. Here I can play, train and have fun, a combination that is not usual in other tournaments».

The 2018 World Kids Golf Champion at the Under-16, has now triumphed as well at the Under-18 level. It was Filipa’s third title of the year, after those achieved at Penina and Belas on the Drive Tour. It was, however, a tasty win, because only three weeks ago she returned from a four-month injuries to both Achilles tendons.

The player of Quinta do Lago may not comeback to defend her title at the Amendoeira Golf Resort next year: «I have been coming to this tournament since I was a Under-12 and had a 36 handicap. Now I have 4 and I will improve, but it is possible that I have been her for the last time. Next year I am going to play and study in the United States and so it is likely that the next summer I will have to take another tournament options, but of course I will miss it.

This year’s foreign champions were English Ffion Richardson (Under-9), Eleanor Lichtenhein (Under-10) and Aaron Moody (Under-10), Spanish Alexander Amey (Under-14), German Emilie von Finckentsein and Norwegian Peter Hov.

Ffion Richardson and Peter Hov came for the first time to the World Kids Golf; Aaron Moody had lost last year with his compatriot Jack Dirkin in the Under-9, and this time he beat the same rival and friend in the Under-10; Eleanor Lichtenhein had won in the Under-9 in 2017, in 2018 she cameback injured in one leg and could not play and this year took the Under-10; and Emilie von Finckentsein was the best in Under-16 a year after being the Under-14 champion.

The World Kids Golf champion is always the Under-18 winner, so the cup was handed to Peter Hov by Custódio Moreno, from the Algarve Department of the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ).

World Kids Golf - João Crasi Alves, Under-12 Champion. Photo by Carla Guerreiro

João Crasi Alves, Under-12 Champion. Photo by Carla Guerreiro

By winning the tournament – in a close challenge with Portuguese Lucas Lopes Azinheiro, who was only 2 strokes behind –, the Norwegian will show up for the first time at the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He will be able, as well, to play the Portugal Pro Golf Tour tournament which will take place on the Faldo Course in 2020. This €10,000 prize-money event will feature players from the Challenge Tour and other professional tours and it will be a unique occasion for Peter Hov to test himself against a much higher competition.

«It far above what I dreamed. I really wanted this first point in the world ranking and I am really going to try to comeback to play with the pros,» said the Norwegian, who intends to «play some more European Golf Association tournaments in the future».

The prize giving ceremony presented dignataries such as Mark Lichtenhein (Chairman of the Ladies European Tour), Ana Gabin (Director of the FPG Algarve Delegation), Custódio Moreno (Director of the Algarve IPDJ), Sérgio Duarte (General Manager of the Amendoeira Golf Resort), Tiago Francisco (golf director at the Amendoeira Golf Resort) and Nelson Cavalheiro (tournament director and local Pro).

The 11th World Kids Golf winners, after three rounds, were as follows:

Under-9, Ffion Richardson (England) with 38 stableford gross points (rounds of 9, 15 and 14) and Francisco Reis (Portugal) with 60 (23 + 17 + 21);
Under-10, Eleanor Lichtenhein (England) with 68 points stableford gross (24 + 22 + 22) and Aaron Moody (England) with 97 (31 + 34 + 32);
Under-12, Inês Belchior (Portugal) with 78 points stableford gross (23 + 28 + 27) and João Crasi Alves (Portugal) with 107 (37 + 33 + 37);
Under-14 Alexander Amey (Spain) with 222 strokes (73 + 73 + 76), 6 over Par;
Under-16, Emilie von Finckenstein (Germany) had 225 strokes (73 + 77 + 75), 9 over Par, and Tomas Mician (Portugal) with 205 (71 + 64 + 70), 11 under Par;
Under-18, Filipa Capelo (Portugal) with 230 strokes (76 + 78 +76), 14 over Par, and Peter Hov (Norway) with 222 strokes (69 + 75 + 78), 6 over Par