Tommy Fleetwood has not played the Portugal Masters since 2016 but arrived at Vilamoura’s Victoria Golf course as part of his US Open preparations. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

TOMMY Fleetwood is teeing it up at the Portugal Masters, on the Algarve, for the first time since 2016.

And the Ryder Cup star is excited to be back at a regular European Tour event after the four-month hiatus due to coronavirus.

Fleetwood played every edition of this event between 2012 and 2016. And the World No. 16 is looking to become the third Englishman in succession to lift the trophy at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf course, come Sunday.

A win for the Lancashire ace on the Algarve would see him follow compatriots Tom Lewis and last year’s winner Steven Brown, before heading to next week’s US Open, at Winged Foot.

Fleetwood said: “It’s great coming back and seeing everybody that you have played with for a long, long time.

“The European Tour definitely, for us that have grown up on the Tour, it has a beautiful atmosphere to it.

“Obviously, we are in a bubble right now. But as soon as you come back it has a feel about it that is really, really nice.

“The Portugal Masters was an ideal opportunity to get some competitive golf in and come back on the European Tour.

“I have never had a run at the tournament. But I have always enjoyed coming here.

“I think the hotel is great. The course is different this year – there is a bit of rough up – so it is a tougher test.

“But I just think it was the perfect scenario for me,” added Tommy, who has five European Tour wins to his name since turning pro in 2010.

“I haven’t played particularly great for a few weeks and I have gone back and worked on a few things,” Fleetwood admitted.

“I have always preferred getting to Majors early. But this year clearly things are very different and things change and get thrown out the window.

“I have never ever been to a tournament where I haven’t wanted to win and this week is exactly that.

“I want to go out this week and compete absolutely. But I think you gain from certain shots you hit, and you only figure those things out by playing competitively.”

Steven Brown rescued his European Tour card by winning his last event of 2019 on the Algarve at the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Brown feels a lot calmer for defence

WENTWORTH’S Brown is also in the Algarve field this week alongside fellow former winners Lucas Bjerregaard, from Denmark, Frenchman Alex Levy and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.

Brown could not have been under more pressure then, requiring at least a fifth-place finish to secure his card, and ultimately taking the title in 2019.

The Surrey pro enters the week in a much more relaxed mindset after capturing his maiden European Tour title in Vilamoura, last season.

Brown said: “It’s nice to be back and see my picture up on the wall with the other previous champions.

“This season is very different, with different feelings from last year when I was in a tough spot trying to keep my card.

“I feel a lot more chilled than last time. Hopefully I can produce the same sort of stuff,” said Brown, who had the same coach as a junior as Ross Fisher at Wentworth.

“I did a lot of work in the off-season and then the second off-season during lockdown. It’s starting to pay-off.

“My putting has been up and down, which is why my results have been the same. But my ball-striking is consistent.

“I had a week off before The Belfry. I’m always a bit rusty the first week, but played really well in tough conditions last week at Valderrama.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot coming here.”

American John Catlin, wants to add a second European Tour to his win at Valderrama last week as quickly as possible after arriving on the Algarve. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Latest winner Catlin wants more victories

THE newest European Tour winner is also teeing it up in the 14th edition of the Portugal Masters.

American John Catlin is already aiming to add to the title he won last week, at the Estrella Damm NA Andalucia Masters, at a very tough Valderrama.

“Playing with some of the best players, like Martin Kaymer, a former World No. 1, all the way down the stretch to the last hole. Being able to hold him off is something I’ll always remember.

Catlin, who denied Martin Kaymer his first win in six years, said: “I’ve won many times as a pro. But winning that one is the biggest win for me for sure.

“My goal now is multiple wins. We’re always trying to win. Once you win one, you want to win two.

“It was the same for me on the Asian Tour. I won one and I wanted to win two. then I won two and I wanted to win three.

“I guess you become a little bit greedy in a sense. That’s my next goal, to win again.”

Bjerregaard: ‘Life on European Tour a lot different now’

BJERREGAARD was the winner three years ago. He said: “I think this is the first time since I’ve been on Tour that my wife isn’t here with me.

“So it’s a bit strange, but I’ve always enjoyed coming here. I got the win in 2017 and had a couple of decent results.

“Normally there is not a lot of rough around here, which suits me. That’s changed a bit this year.

“That will be fun. It will be a different course to what we have seen the last few years.

“The wind is up today. If it stays like that I think we’ll see some different scores than we are used to.

“It’s just a great vibe here. The weather is nice, great food. It’s not a bad place at all to come,” said the winner of the Danish Amateur title in 2007 and 2008, who was crowned European Amateur Champion in 2010.

Iberian Swing to continue Golf For Good charity work

THIS week is the second of three tournaments in the “Iberian Swing” as the European Tour continues the practice of grouping tournaments in regional clusters where possible.

It follows two dual-ranking events in Austria and the six-event “UK Swing” since the resumption of the 2020 Race to Dubai.

This week also sees the continuation of the European Tour’s Golf For Good initiative, on the Algarve.

Vilamoura World and the European Tour have teamed up to donate €200 for every birdie and €500 for every eagle scored on the par five 17^th at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

The proceeds will be split between two local charities – Existir and APEXA – and EDGA (European Disabled Golf Association).

•For live scores from the Portugal Masters click here.

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Tom Lewis has won the Portugal Masters twice since turning pro in 2011, and after earning his US Tour card in September, will be confident of a hat-trick. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

DEFENDING Portugal Masters champion Tom Lewis could complete a hat-trick this week as he tees it up at Dom Pedro Victoria in the Algarve, starting tomorrow (Thursday).

The Hertfordshire player won his second Portugal Masters crown last season, finishing three strokes ahead of Lucas Herbert and Oxfordshire’s Eddie Pepperell – his first victory since winning the same event seven years ago.

Lewis produced the largest 54-hole comeback of the 2018 season, sitting nine strokes behind Herbert after a level-par first round.

The ???? year old – who hails from the same Welwyn Golf Club that produced six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo – then carded rounds of 63. 61 and 66 to reach 22-under for his second European Tour title.

Lewis, who is in great form having won a PGA Tour card by winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, said: “I got off to a slow start but had a really good Friday-Saturday and a great day on the last day.

“Hopefully I can get off to a faster start and not put too much pressure on myself, like I did on that Friday.

“The course suits me and the greens are really good. They’re firmer and faster – hopefully I can hole as many putts as I did last year.

“I feel like I know where the lines are, I’m confident where I know I can hit it and where my bad shots can go.

“There are a few changes out there, with a few more trees that have been planted, but they don’t come into play that much.

“You’d have to be very unlucky for those to come into play. If I hit it well and hole putts, I feel comfortable on this golf course.”

Lewis, who can now plan a world schedule with his PGA Tour card secure for 2020, might also fancy his chances of defending his crown at Dom Pedro Victoria – his Korn Ferry win came at Indiana’s Victoria National GC, in what was his first appearance on America’s equivalent to the European Challenge Tour.

Lewis’ first win at Vilamoura’s Victoria Course came in just his fourth event as a professional – he had led the 2011 Open after the first round at Royal St George’s while still an amateur.

That summer he had won the St Andrews Links Trophy – one of the top three amateur strokeplay championships in Europe – against a world-class field,

Later that summer Lewis would help Great Britain and Ireland beat the USA in the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen, alongside the likes of Andy Sullivan and Jack Senior and lost his singles matches against Peter Uihlein and Russell Henley, who will be

Wentworth’s Steven Brown, the English Amateur Champion in 2011, was also in that Walker Cup team with Lewis and the Surrey man needs a big week in Portugal to stand any chance of keeping his European Tour card for 2020 having flirted with the top five in the Open de France in Paris week, on Sunday, before finally finishing in a share of 11th.

Last year, Dom Pedro Victoria witnessed history as Essex’s Oliver Fisher carded the first 59 on the European Tour.

In 46 years and over 690,000 rounds of golf, no one had recorded a sub-60 score before Fisher’s 12-under par round on the par-71 Victoria Course, which was designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer.

Fisher, who was the youngest player to appear in the Walker Cup as a 16 year old in Chicago in 2005, is another big fan of the Victoria course.

“It’s always a course I like to come back to, we come back every year, it’s a nice week,” said Fisher, who hails from West Essex GC.

“The hotel is on site and everyone is in a good mood. It’s the end of the year.

“Last year I had a great round on the Friday, but a mixed week apart from that. The previous years have been similar to this year – I need a decent-enough week to secure my playing rights for next year.

“There’s a bit of an added pressure on it which means a lot. There are mixed feelings in terms of what to expect and my own goals this week.

“It’s nice to come back to a place where people are talking about something I’ve done before. It’s nice to walk around and think I’ve hit some good shots around here and had some good rounds.”

Another Hertfordshire ace – Matt Wallace – the highest-ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking in the field this week in 29th place, will also draw on fond memories as he prepares for this week’s Portugal Masters.

The Moor Park GC member returns to the country where he won his first European Tour title three years ago – the Portugal Open at Morgado Golf Resort, also on the Algarve.

Wallace, who has since won three further titles after his Open de Portugal success in 2016, is currently fifth on the Race to Dubai rankings, and is hoping for a strong finish to the 2019 season, with just five events left to play.

Wallace, who was playing against a Hampshire team containing future Amateur Champion Scott Gregory in the South East Colts League Final eight years ago, said: “It’s playing a little differently this year.

“This morning was windy, which it can get around here. The greens are fabulous. They are fast and true. I know they’ve spent quite a bit of money on the course – it’s in great nick.

“The rough is down, but you can get some fliers. If you can hit the fairways, people will still go low.

“With Oli shooting 59 last year, people can go low. But it’s about getting it in play and hitting lots of greens – I’d expect some long putts going in this week.”

•For live scoring in the first round of the Portugal Masters, click here.

Matt Wallace was playing for Hertfordshire Colts back in 2012. Eight years on he is looking for his fourth European Tour win. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

Bjerregaard back at Vilamoura

ALSO teeing it up at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course this week are former Portugal Masters Champions Lucas Bjerregaard and 2020 Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington.

Bjerregaard won his first European Tour title in Vilamoura in 2017, one year after Harrington secured his first victory in Europe in eight years when he emerged victorious in 2016

Bjerregaard, who went on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrews last year, said: “I’ve played well here a couple of times and won a couple of years ago, so it’s nice to be back here.

“It’s a place I’ve come for six years now, with the family. They’ve enjoyed it every time we’ve been here. It’s nice to be back.

“It plays different this year. The greens are rapid, I don’t think I’ve played on greens this quick all year.

“I played nine this morning and they were super quick. The course is beautiful, it’s in amazing shape.

“The rough isn’t that thick, but you get a lot of fliers out of it. It’ll be tough to control your approach shots from there.

“It’ll be fun to see if scoring will be different with greens this quick – I thought it wasn’t as easy getting up-and-down as it has been in previous years.

“The greens are firmer too. If the wind picks up, it’ll be interesting,” added Bjerregaard.

The post Hertfordshire’s Lewis and Wallace gunning for more glory in Portugal Masters appeared first on Golf North.