Liam Johnston, who shot a superb 61 to lead the Portugal Masters after the first round, at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf course. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SCOTLAND’S Liam Johnston produced the lowest round of his European Tour career at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf course.

The 26-year-old from Dumfries fired a sparkling round of 61 to lead by one shot at the end of the opening day of the 2020 Portugal Masters.

At nine-under par through 16 holes, the Scot was in contention to match the historic 59 Oliver Fisher shot on the same Algarve course two years ago.

He narrowly cleared the water with his approach into the par-five 17th, but could not hole his eagle putt from range.

A par on the last took the two-time European Challenge Tour winner to 10-under, one shot ahead of Frenchman Julien Guerrier.

Johnston, who won the Kazakhstan Open two years ago to earn his European Tour card, said: “With the rough out there, it’s nice to keep the bogeys off the card.

“I saved well when I needed to and holed a lot of putts out there. Delighted with the 10 birdies.

“I told my coach back home I was swinging it as good as I ever have, and my game feels like it’s trending in the right direction.

“More importantly, I’m in a really good place mentally. I didn’t see a round like this coming. But I felt like I was playing well,” said Liam, who won the African and Scottish Amateur strokeplay titles in 2017.

Johnston: I didn’t know course par

INEVITABLY, much of post-round talk was how aware was he that he had a real chance to equal Oliver Fisher’s record-breaking 59 at the Victoria Course in 2018.

Johnston said: “I had no idea. I was just talking to Kristoffer Broberg and just noticed it was a par 71.

He added: “I thought it was a par 72. Obviously, I was trying to hole that putt on 17 to make eagle, and just left it a little bit short. Nice par on the last.”

Johnston has been friends since childhood with Grant Forrest and Connor Syme. The latter had a very successful UK Swing, finishing third in the Celtic Classic at Celtic Manor.

Liam freely admits their successes – and that of Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Bob MacIntyre – are spurring each other on as they seek to match last year’s European Tour win Down Under by David Law, who is slightly older.

“We’ve all known each other for ages and feed off the success each other has,” said Johnston in 2018.

Frenchman Guerrier has struggled to match his victory in The Amateur Championship in 2006, when he beat Surrey’s Adam Gee, at Royal St George’s.

Guerrier said: “I really enjoyed how I played the course. The conditions were great. The weather was perfect. I played great. I hit a lot of fairways and I think that is the key here.

“As soon as I hit my ball into the rough it was a different hole. You fight for the par and when you put your ball on the fairway it’s like a birdie chance.

“You try to make it the best you can,” said the 36-year-old, who shot a 60 during the 2009 European Tour School, where he earned his first card.

Laurie in second place at a Canter

MEANWHILE ex-Somerset county player Laurie Canter was at seven-under after a round of 64, with all of the leading three players going bogey-free in Vilamoura.

The 2010 South African Amateur and South African Strokeplay winner said: “I don’t think I’ve done that for a while to be fair, bogey-free, I’ve had my fair share of bogeys so it’s nice to keep them off the card for a day.

“There’s a couple of new things I’ve been working,” the 30-year-old revealed.

“Nothing radical really. Just some good, smart advice from some good coaches and my other half, Anna, is now my manager. So I’ve got to put it down to her really.”

Canter won six times in 2010, including victory in the Hampshire Hog, breaking Justin Rose’s scoring record at North Hants GC.

But the Bath-based golfer is still looking for his maiden European Tour win having turned pro in 2011.

Rory’s ex-Walker Cup partner’s good start

NORTHERN Ireland’s Jonathan Caldwell, who partnered Rory McIlroy at the Walker Cup, in 2007, is another Great Britain and Ireland player at six-under.

The 36-year-old from Bangor, who has two wins on the PGA EuroPro Tour, was one shot ahead of South African George Coetzee – one of the pre-tournament favourites.

The pair were joined on that number by Cheshire’s Walker Cup player Matthew Jordan, Denmark’s Ryder Cup player Thorbjørn Olesen and Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg, whose maiden win came a year ago at Crans, in Switzerland.

A group of 12 players are then at four-under, with World No, 16 Tommy Fleetwood, and the highest-placed Portuguese player – Tomás Bessa – among a further eight players at three-under.

Fleetwood happy with driving as US Open draws near

FLEETWOOD playing in the event for the first time in four years was pleased as he started his preparations for next week’s US Open in earnest.

“Overall I was happy,” said the five-time European Tour winner. “I had a dodgy spell through three, four, five, six and then started hitting it well and had chances.

“The course is a different test to what it’s always been. I drove it great – ignore the one on the last.

“I drove it really well and gave myself a lot of chances. It’s nice to be playing this course again.

“I felt like I was working hard, like every shot. But the more I felt myself strike the golf ball, look up and seeing it doing what I would like it to do, the more confidence you build.

“And that’s exactly why I’m playing this week. You’ve got to play golf really, in tournament conditions.

“And it’s always nice to see some work pay off in a tournament.”

Meanwhile, India’s Shubhankar Sharma recorded the first albatross on the 2020 Race to Dubai, holing out from 241 yards with his second shot on the 588-yard par-five 17th hole.

•Follow live scoring in the second round of the Portugal Masters by clicking here.

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Scot David Law shot a fine 64 to lead the Betfred British Masters after the first round of the European Tour’s UK Swing at Close House. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

DAVID Law fired a flawless seven-under opening round 64 at the Betfred British Masters to take a one-stroke lead at the first tournament of the European Tour’s UK Swing.

The 29-year-old Scot, who has one European Tour title to his name, hit a red hot streak with seven birdies in eight holes from the sixth.

The only par during that run came courtesy of a wondrous save from the heavy gorse at the 11th.

Law said: “I was playing steady. You might not be sure what to expect coming into today after the long break. I was delighted with that.

“It’s still a little strange, but the Tour have done a fantastic job. So far I think it’s gone really well.

“The club has hosted us really well. It’s a new time for us, we’re all learning and we’ll all have to get used to it.

“The whole week so far has been very positive,” added the two-time Scottish Amateur champion.

“We’ve been lucky at home and not had anyone affected by the illness, thankfully.

“My daughter is 19 months old, so to have that extended time at home, I’ll never get that again. We had a great time.

“It was a nice time for me because I wasn’t playing the best going into that break. It was a good time to recharge and regroup.”

Fisher so happy be back playing golf

DAVID LAW, who won last year’s ISPS Handa Vic Open, finished the day one shot clear of Essx’s Oliver Fisher and Northumberland’s Garrick Porteous.

The English pair matched Italy’s Renato Paratore, who carded a round of 65 at Close House Golf Club, on the outskirts of Newcastle.

Fisher, who famously became the first player to shoot a 59 on the European Tour in Portugal two years ago, said: “I added my score up at the end and it’s weird to think I’ve shot 65 today.

“Obviously I’m chuffed about it. It’s weird to be back and playing professional golf, and I’m delighted with my score.

“I started off okay, the pins here and the greens are quite tricky in places. They tuck them and there are ridges on the edges of the greens where it can fall off and they can catch you out.

“There was a little bit of rain and it was quite fiery. There was a bit of a skid going, so with wedges early on it was hard to get close.

“I travelled up a couple of days ago, we’ve got a nice run in the UK. A lot of things to enjoy and hopefully we can all continue with social distancing and sticking to the routine of doing everything as properly as we can.

“The Tour have been great at stressing that to us. I’m delighted to be back and delighted with my score.”

Local knowledge helps Garrick Porteous

Garrick Porteous who won The Amateur Championship in 2013.
Picture by DAVID CANNON

GARRICK Porteous, who won The Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports in 2013, revealed a lot of local knowledge had contributed to his good start.

The 30-year-old, who played in the 2013 Open and made his Masters debut in 2014, has been confined to the Challenge Tour for most of his six years as a professional.

Porteous, who earned his European Tour card at last year’s Qualifying School, said: “I’ve played a few mini-tour things in the Leeds area.

“But I live 15 minutes from here, so I’ve been practising here a lot. I’ve played the course for so many years now anyway.

“It’s in great condition. I’m pretty familiar with the course, but its in the best condition I’ve ever seen it.

“Knowing the course so well can put a bit more pressure on you. I probably felt that early on.

“Once I settled down and made some birdies it was alright. I made some good swings and some good birdies.”

Physical work in lockdown pays off for Paratore

PARATORE, who hails from Rome, said: “I played really solid. I had a bogey-free round and played really well from tee to green.

“I started really well with three birdies, I saved a couple of pars with some really good putts – a solid round.

“It was a good way to come back. It was good to know the European Tour was starting again.

Renato added: “It wasn’t easy during the lockdown. I’m really happy to be here right now.

“During lockdown I didn’t practice, just physically and rested a lot,” said the Italian, who lost a play-off to Danish teenager Rasmus Højgaard in Mauritius, in December.

“Then golf courses reopened, so I started to practice a lot in June. So I prepared well for the first tournament,” said the winner of the 2017 Nordea Masters.

Tournament host Lee Westwood, battled to a one-under 70 while Oxfordshire’s Eddie Pepperell had a solid start on his return to golf after four months out, signing for a four-under 67.

•For live scoring in round two and to follow David Law click here.

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Essex’s Oliver Fisher carded a 59 in the second round of the Portugal Masters to lead on 12-under… this year he shot two 65s to get to the top of the leaderboard. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

OLIVER Fisher holds the second round lead at the Portugal Masters for the second-consecutive year after moving to 12-under par at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura.

The 31-year-old Essex pro shared the 36-hole lead in 2018, but holds it outright 12 months on after a second round of 65, which included two eagles and four birdies.

The Englishman made history after carding the European Tour’s first 59 on the same course during last year’s second round and, coincidentally, has reached the score of 12-under again at the same stage in the Algarve.

Fisher, whose sole win came in the Czech Open back in 2011, said: “I played really well the first two rounds last week, the driving was better in France.

“I just got on some bad runs around that course, which can happen. The first two rounds I hit the ball well.

“I didn’t quite hit it as well today, but it was windy,” said Fisher who first came to prominence as an amateur by winning England Golf’s Gold Medal, as a 12-year-old.

“The south-easterly wind makes a few drives tricky. I’m pleased to hit 65, I’m looking forward to the weekend,” added Fisher, who played in the Walker Cup in 2005, in Chicago, breaking Justin Rose’s record as the youngest ever Great Britain and Ireland player in some 80 years.

Fisher, who became the youngest pro to win a card at the European Tour Qualifying School in 2006, is one stroke ahead of South African Justin Walters and South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, who are both fighting to secure their playing rights for 2020 and avoiding a trip to Q-School next month.

Walters, who famously holed a long putt on the 18th in 2013 to save his card, has sufferred an emotional year after losing his dad.

“It’s hard, but I’m staying in the present,” said Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick. “Hitting the best shot I can and if I don’t pull it off, there’s not much I can do.

“If it works then great, if not it’ll be disappointing. There’s not much more I can do but if by the end of the week I can hold my head up high if I’ve thrown everything I have at it.

“It should be enough, if it’s not we’ll find another place to win a tournament.”

Walters’s compatriots took over the leaderboard during the second round, with seven South Africans sitting inside the top 10.

Brandon Stone holds fourth place on 10-under, while Darren Fichardt and Haydn Porteous share fifth with last year’s runner-up Eddie Pepperell, from Frilford Heath GC.

Stone, who won twice in 2016 and whose last win came in last year’s Scottish Open at Gullane, said: “I’ve been great off the tee all week, and the last few months.

“I felt comfortable with the putter, which has been the missing link for a long time now. I enjoy quick greens and bent greens.

“When we arrived I felt really comfortable. The stroke feels fantastic and I’ve given myself a lot of opportunities – especially early in the round.

“It’s easier when you get birdies to start your round, you give yourself something to fall back on,” added Stone.

“Overall, I’m very happy with where the game is.”

George Coetzee – who had a chance to win in France a week ago, is eighth, while Dean Burmester and first round leader Louis De Jager joined defending champion Tom Lewis, from Hertfordshire’s Welwyn GC, on seven-under in a share of ninth with four others.

The predicted cut-off on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex has moved to 116 after the cut fell at minus one.

•You can follow live scoring in teh third round of the Portugal Masters by clicking here.

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Thirty-two-year-old Louis De Jager fired an excellent 63 to lead the Portugal Masters as the South African bids to keep his European Tour card. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LOUIS De Jager made a strong start to his quest to keep his European Tour card at the Portugal Masters after an eight-under par first round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

The South African, who started the week in 123^rd place on the Race to Dubai rankings, went bogey-free in the Algarve with a round of 63.

That left him two strokes ahead of compatriot Justin Walters, Essex’s Oliver Fisher and Australian Jake McLeod.

Thirty-two-year-old De Jager, who has six wins on the Sunshine Tour, said: “I made a few nice putts in the beginning and then really hit it well towards the end and kept the momentum going.

“The greens are very good. They are really fast. I felt comfortable. I left myself in the right spots on the greens, on the right plateaus, which made it much easier.

“There are some tricky putts on those greens, but I kept it easy for myself. I think everyone is more conscious of where they are (on the Race to Dubai Rankings),” said De Jager, who has yet to break his duck in Europe in 75 starts.

“My back is against the wall a little bit, for me I can only go forward,” added De Jager who is in his rookie year having come through the Qualifying School last year, despite having played in European Tour events for the past decade as a member of the Sunshine Tour.

“I’m using that as extra motivation and encouragement – not that you need it, but that did help a little bit,” said Louis.

Fisher, who carded the first 59 in European Tour history at the Vilamoura venue last year, and Walters are also fighting to secure their playing rights for next season.

Fisher, the youngest player to have have appeared in the Walker Cup back in 2005, started the week in 112^th place while Walters, who saved his card with a gutsy final round display at the Victoria Course in 2013, is nine spots further down the European Tour’s Order of Merit.

Fisher, whose only win came in the Czech Masters in 2011, said: “I’m really pleased.

“I played very solid. It was nice to go around and have a lot of chances and feel as though I was in control of what I was doing.

“Last week was a tough week in France. It’s nice to get rid of the clouds which were here on Tuesday and Wednesday,” said the 31-year-old from Chingford, whose biggest win as an amateur came in the 2006 St Andrews Links Trophy.

“We have blue skies and we’re on a course we’re all familiar with and it’s a nice start to the week.”

McLeod must win or finish in solo second to move above the cut-off point, which, as things stand after the first round in Vilamoura, is the top 115 players on the Race to Dubai rankings, who, at the conclusion of the Portugal Masters, will secure their cards for 2020.

Jake McLeod said: “It’s quite wide off the tee, so you can get up there and really give it a rip.

“But it can be quite penalising around the greens if you miss in the wrong spots – they’re running quite fast this week.

“I found myself on a lot of the good sides today – hopefully I can keep doing that. This season has been pretty average, so I’ve come out here and I’ll have a bit of fun and probably go to Q-School unless I get the win.”

Walters, who is coached by West Hove’s Ryan Fenwick, said: “The kind of round I needed, given where I am. I was really calm today – that’s my manta all week.

“I love coming back to Portugal, I love this golf course and love being here. To play well on top of that is a bonus, but it’s required.

“The hardest part about today was not trying too hard – I’ve been doing that regularly this year,” added Walters, who was also among the early leaders at the Alfred Dunhill Links, in Scotland, last month.

“I just stayed in every shot and stayed in the present, it was lovely to do that,” said Walters.

Benign conditions led to a day of low scoring in the Algarve, with 75 of the 126-man field beating par.

•For live scoring in 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.

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Lee Westwood’s win in Portugal came 10 years ago and he will be joined at Dom Pedro Victoria, in Vilamoura, by fellow past champions Andy Sullivan and Tom Lewis.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

FORMER World No. 1 Lee Westwood and fellow past champion Andy Sullivan will tee it up alongside compatriot Eddie Pepperell at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course when the Portugal Masters returns to Vilamoura this week.

Westwood, who hails from Worksop, will be making his first appearance at the event since winning what was his 30^th professional title 10 years ago.

Meanwhile Sullivan, from Nuneaton, secured his third European Tour victory at Dom Pedro Victoria, in 2015, when he finished nine strokes clear of the chasing pack.

In 2009, Westwood ended a two-year wait for a European Tour victory as he finished two strokes ahead of Francesco Molinari after carding his third six-under par round of the tournament to post a 23-under total.

The win sparked a rich vein of form which saw him win the Race to Dubai that same season and then become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1994 to become World No. 1 the following year.

“I have some happy memories of Dom Pedro Victoria after winning there in 2009,” said Westwood, who had 26 top-10 finishes between his 2007 British Masters title and his Portugal Masters victory.

“There had been a few close calls between those two wins, so I was really pleased to get over the line in Portugal.

“A lot of players talk about how this tournament has gone from strength-to -strength over the last few years.

“I’m looking forward to coming back and seeing how the tournament has grown. It also gives me a great opportunity to tune-up ahead of my defence of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, so I’m excited for the week.”

Sullivan, who was a teammate of Westwood’s at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, was denied back-to-back Portugal Masters titles three years ago when he finished just one stroke behind champion Padraig Harrington.

“The Portugal Masters is an event I always look for when the schedule is released,” said Sullivan. “It’s a great event and it’s always nice to return to a course where you’ve won before.

“I always bring my family to the event as they love it as much as I do – and it never hurts to have some extra support while competing.

“This tournament gives us an opportunity to start building some momentum ahead of the final three events of the year.”

Sullivan added: “I really want to end the season strongly and this event provides the platform for that.”

Two-time European Tour winner Eddie Pepperell has also confirmed he will return to Dom Pedro Victoria later this month as the Frilford Heath member looks to maintain his position inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

The trio will join Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn in the field, as well as defending champion Tom Lewis, from Hertfordshire, and Essex history-maker Oliver Fisher, who carded the European Tour’s first 59 at last year’s tournament.

•Tickets for the Portugal Masters (October 24-27) are available from €8 for juniors (ages 12-17), €17 for concessions and €20 for adults. Season tickets are available for €24 for juniors, €50 for concessions and €60 for adults. To purchase tickets, click here.

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Matt Wallace was playing for Hertfordshire Colts eight years ago this week… next week he returns to the Algarve for next week’s Portugal Masters, having won the Portuguese Open two years ago at Morgado. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

A STAR-studded field is set to tee it up at next week’s Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, on the Algarve.

Former World No.1 1 Martin Kaymer, 2020 Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington, four-time European Tour winner Matt Wallace and 2017 Portugal Masters champion Lucas Bjerregaard have all confirmed their attendance on the Iberian peninsula.

The quartet join a field which includes a host of European Tour winners and Ryder Cup players as the 2019 season reaches its climax with just four events left to play following the Portugal Masters which takes place in Vilamoura, from October 24-27.

Wallace, who hails from Pinner, in Middlesex, has happy memories of Portugal after securing the first of his four European Tour titles at the Open de Portugal in 2017.

The Moor Park amateur, who played junior golf at nearby Batchworth Park, in Rickmansworth, helped Hertfordshire beat a Hampshire team featuring future European Tour player Scott Gregory in the South East Colts League Final, eight years ago this week.

Since then Wallace reached a career-high position of 23rd in the Official World Golf Ranking earlier this season, and is currently fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

“Portugal is a very special place for me,” said Wallace who graduated via the Alps and Challenge Tours, having attended the same Jacksononville State University in Alabama as Hampshire’s Tom Robson for 12 months.

Wallace added: “Winning for the first time on the European Tour there a few years ago was huge for me, and I’m proud of how I’ve developed as a golfer since then.

“There’s still so much to play for in the last few events of the season and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer is looking forward to returning to Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course after a long absence. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Kaymer, who won the US Open Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010, will make his first appearance at the Portugal Masters since 2015.

The German, who has played in four Ryder Cups, has a quartet of top-20 finishes this season and is looking to secure his place in the final three events on the 2019 Race to Dubai.

“It’s an event I’ve always enjoyed playing,” said Kaymer. “The move to October has given me the opportunity to add it to my schedule again.

“I’ve had some encouraging results this season, but it’s my goal to make the last three tournaments on the Race to Dubai, so Portugal gives me a great opportunity to take some momentum into those events.”

Harrington, who will captain Europe at Whistling Straits in next year’s Ryder Cup, won his first European Tour title in eight years when he was crowned champion at the 2016 Portugal Masters.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Dom Pedro Victoria,” said Harrington. “It’s a golf course which suits me, and it’s always nice to return to a venue where you have won before.

“We might be nearing the end of the season, but there’s still a lot for everyone to play for. It should be an exciting week.”

Padraig Harrington claimed the Portugal Masters title in 2016. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Defending champion Tom Lewis, another graduate from Hertfordshire’s junior programme that produced Wallace, and Essex’s history-maker Oliver Fisher, who carded the European Tour’s first 59 at last year’s Portugal Masters, will also return to Vilamoura.

Meanwhile Ricardo Gouveia and Pedro Figueiredo will fly the flag for Portugal as the two highest-ranked players from the host country in the field.

Tickets for the Portugal Masters are available from €8 for juniors (ages 12-17), €17 for concessions and €20 for adults.

Season tickets are available for €24 for juniors, €50 for concessions and €60 for adults. To purchase tickets, click here.

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