The PGA Tour Champions is coming to Portugal. From 31 July to 2 August 2026, The Els Club Vilamoura hosts the Portugal Invitational — the first PGA Tour-sanctioned individual stroke play event on Portuguese soil, and the first PGA Tour Champions event staged anywhere in Europe.
A natural milestone for a region that has spent decades building one of the continent’s most compelling golf destinations.
What the Portugal Invitational Actually Is
The PGA Tour Champions is the professional circuit for golfers aged 50 and over — populated by Major winners and some of the most recognisable names in the modern game.
The Portugal Invitational carries a $3 million purse and a field of 78 players drawn from PGA Tour Champions members, World Golf Hall of Fame inductees, and Legends Tour players. It sits within a three-week European swing alongside the ISPS Handa Senior Open and the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship. (PGA Tour Champions official announcement)
The Field: A Who’s Who of Senior Golf
Bernhard Langer — holder of 47 PGA Tour Champions wins and six Charles Schwab Cups — heads a field that also includes three-time Major champion Pádraig Harrington, two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal, host Ernie Els, and Colin Montgomerie.
Retief Goosen, David Duval, Thomas Bjørn, and Ángel Cabrera are also confirmed. A Pro-Am is part of the week, giving amateur participants direct access to players of this calibre. (Golf Circus)
The Els Club Vilamoura: The Course at the Centre of It All
The Els Club occupies the former site of the Victoria Golf Course — an Arnold Palmer design that hosted the DP World Tour’s Portugal Masters from 2007 to 2022, producing winners including Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington.
Redesigned by Ernie Els, one nine retains its original routing while the other is an entirely new layout. The result is the fifth Els Club in the world and the first in Europe. (Golfweek via Yahoo Sports)
Why Vilamoura Was Always Going to Host Something Like This
Vilamoura is consistently ranked among the finest golf resorts in Continental Europe. Five golf courses, premium accommodation — including the recently arrived Hyatt Regency — and a food scene that takes itself seriously.
Faro Airport sits 25 minutes away, with direct routes to 89 airports across 20 countries. Transfers and car hire are easily arranged. The tournament is backed by a five-year partnership between PGA Tour Champions, Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal and Turismo do Algarve — this is not a one-off. (Portugal Invitational)
Planning Around the Portugal Invitational
Tournament week runs 27 July to 2 August, with the 54-hole competition concluding on 2 August. Spectator access and ticketing details will be confirmed closer to the event.
Whether the plan is to watch the professionals and then play the same course, or simply use the tournament as the nudge to finally book that Algarve golf holiday, the summer of 2026 has handed you a rather good excuse.
