A pro-am title, a course record and a six-shot win. Jean Hugo did not so much visit Comporta as annex it.
When the Staysure Legends Tour arrived at Pinheirinho for the inaugural Portugal Legends Championship, the talk was all major champions and Ryder Cup captains — our preview was no exception. By Sunday 1 November the trophy belonged to a 50-year-old South African in his rookie season on the over-50s circuit. The form book has been quietly returned to the shelf.
Ten Under and Not a Bogey in Sight
Jean Hugo opened with 66 and 68 and went into Sunday one behind Paul Lawrie. He then made five straight birdies on the front nine, an eagle at the 11th and birdies at the 15th, 17th and 18th. The result was a bogey-free 62 — ten under par and a new course record, eclipsing the 65 Phillip Archer had posted only the day before.
That left him on 196, 20 under and six clear, for his second Legends Tour title in three starts after the Reignwood Legends Championship in Beijing in October. “I was just trying to get it over the water on the last, never mind making birdie, so the record is a bonus,” he said. Some bonus. (Golf Today)
A Carnoustie Reunion and a Cold Putter
Hugo made his professional debut at the 1999 Open at Carnoustie — the one Paul Lawrie won. Twenty-seven years on, the two were paired together on Sunday, with Lawrie defending a one-shot lead. The Scot’s putter declined to take part, and a level-par 72 dropped him into a tie for fifth on 11 under. England’s Greg Owen closed with 65 to finish second on 14 under, with Sweden’s Johan Edfors third and Andrew Marshall fourth. (Golf News)
The week’s strangest statistic belonged to Scott Drummond, who made nine birdies in a row on day one to equal the world record on the professional tours. He followed it with two 74s and finished tied 32nd, which is golf in a sentence. Stephen Gallacher, named in our preview, finished tied 13th but still leads the Order of Merit. Nuno Campino, the only Portuguese professional in the field, finished 54th. (RTP)
Where the Amateurs Came In
Hugo’s week actually began on Thursday 29 October, when his team won the pro-am at 37 under alongside amateurs Manuel Quinta, Tiago Costa and Carlos Molinelli. Twenty-one teams took part, each led by a Legends Tour professional. Luís Figo and Ricardo Pereira, playing with Peter Baker and Rui Coelho, finished fifth at 32 under. Henrique Duarte had a hole-in-one at the 15th — his first, after 55 years of trying. He chose his moment well. (Record)
The amateur involvement didn’t stop on Thursday. Through the Legends Experience programme, amateurs played the tournament itself alongside the professionals, with a prize for the leading amateur. Bento Louro took it at three under and called it a chance to learn from the best. Thanks to Hugo, he also had a front-row seat for a course record. (Record)
A Week in Comporta
Our preview has the full Comporta picture: the course’s history, the rice fields and the long lunches. For the rest of the week, there’s the Dunas Course and the Torre Course at Terras da Comporta, with Almalusa Comporta or Quinta da Comporta to come back to in the evening.
Imagine waking up to the sound of the Atlantic waves, surrounded by serene pine forests and golden dunes. This dream is about to become reality with the unveiling of the €1.7 billion Pinheirinho project by VIC Properties, one of Portugal’s leading real estate developers.
