José María Olazábal

Portugal Invitational 2026: Make a Week of It in the Algarve

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The tournament is five weeks away. The field is confirmed. The Algarve is warm. Here is why all three of these things should matter to you.

2026 Portugal Invitational - Algarve, Porugal
Pádraig Harrington won the Portugal Masters at The Els Club Vilamoura in 2016. On 31 July, he returns to that same course for the inaugural Portugal Invitational — the first PGA TOUR Champions event ever staged in Europe — alongside Bernhard Langer, José María Olazábal, Ernie Els, and a 78-player field with more major titles between them than most tours produce in a decade. Five weeks away. Accommodation in the Vilamoura golf holiday packages in late July does not linger. This is the moment to make a decision.

These Are Not Exhibition Golfers

It would be easy to mistake a senior circuit event for a celebration of the past rather than a contest in the present. Dismiss that thought. Bernhard Langer — approaching his 69th birthday — holds 47 PGA TOUR Champions wins and six Charles Schwab Cups. Harrington has claimed two U.S. Senior Open titles since turning 50 and remains a genuine contender at every major on the calendar. Olazábal, a two-time Masters champion, is competing on his home continent for the first time at this level. Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen, and David Duval are all here to win. The $3 million prize purse — one of the largest on the PGA TOUR Champions schedule — has a way of concentrating minds. Harrington will know every slope of The Els Club Vilamoura. That is not a small advantage.

Aerial view of The Els Club Vilamoura, host venue for the inaugural 2026 Portugal Invitational

What Tournament Week Actually Looks Like

The competition runs from 31 July to 2 August, with the Pro-Am taking place in the days beforehand. Pro-Am packages are available for those who would rather play alongside a PGA TOUR Champions legend than simply watch one — a round at The Els Club Vilamoura in that company is a golf story worth telling. All three rounds are broadcast live on Golf Channel, across 170 countries, but if you are standing on the course rather than watching from a sofa, you will see Harrington walk fairways he already knows, and Langer add another chapter to a career that declines to reach a final paragraph. The Els Club has the 261 Tap Room on site. The marina restaurants are a short drive. The dourada was in the Atlantic that morning.

Vilamoura marina on a summer evening, Algarve, with waterfront restaurants and moored yachts

The Algarve Does Not Begin and End in Vilamoura

Tournament week is the anchor. The Algarve is the destination. Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo are within easy reach — which have been benchmarks for European resort golf for thirty years. Further west, Palmares plays along the cliffs above Meia Praia beach, with the Atlantic visible on almost every hole. The coastline between Vilamoura and Lagos contains some of the finest golf in Portugal. Build the trip around the tournament and there is no shortage of material to fill the days either side.

clifftop fairways of Palmares Golf Course above Meia Praia beach, Algarve

The Portugal Invitational is a five-year commitment — it will return in 2027. But the inaugural edition only happens once. There will be a first winner, a first-round leader, a first eagle at The Els Club Vilamoura under tournament conditions. With Harrington and Langer in the field, a Sunday finish to remember is well within the range of probabilities.

The Algarve has been ready for this for some time. So, with any luck, are you.

Browse our Algarve golf holidays and start building the trip around the Portugal Invitational.


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The Masters and the Spanish Golf Legacy at Augusta

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Few tournaments in the world of golf evoke as much emotion and tradition as The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. This tournament holds a special place in the Spanish golf legacy because of its prestige and the champions who’ve walked its fairways and donned the iconic Green Jacket.

It all began with Seve Ballesteros, who, in 1980, became the first European ever to win The Masters. Just 23 years old, Seve stunned the American crowd with his bold shot-making and unmatched charisma. He’d go on to win again in 1983, forever linking his name with Augusta’s legacy. His victory opened the gates for a new era of European contenders and a golden chapter for the Spanish golf legacy.

José María Olazábal followed in Seve’s footsteps, winning not once but twice, in 1994 and 1999. Quiet and precise, Olazábal was a master of Augusta’s undulating greens. His 1999 comeback win after a career-threatening injury remains one of the most emotional stories in Masters history. Many recall the embrace between him and his caddie at the 18th—pure magic.

The Unstoppable Spanish Golf Legacy

Then came Sergio García, whose dramatic playoff win in 2017 brought tears to the eyes of golf fans worldwide. After 73 attempts at majors without a win, Sergio broke through at Augusta on what would’ve been Seve’s 60th birthday. The tribute was unspoken but profound. That year, the Green Jacket was more than a trophy; it symbolised perseverance and destiny.

Jon Rahm‘s 2023 win was dominant (the last by a Spaniard) and remains a firm favourite this year. García will join him, still hungry and always dangerous at Augusta, Olazábal, playing both as past champions, and Jose Luis Ballester, who won the last U.S. Amateur.

Augusta is always full of surprises, and Spaniards again take centre stage. The Spanish golf legacy Seve started more than four decades ago is alive and well, and this week, all eyes will be on the azaleas—and García, Olazábal, Rahm and Ballester chasing history.

Photo: Live About.