In what is fantastic news for the Algarve, the European Tour has just announced the return of the Portuguese Open after a seven year absence. The last winner of the Open de Portugal in 2010 was Denmark’s Thomas Bjørn when the event was held at Penha Longa in Sintra, near Lisbon. The 2017 competition will take place in May at the Morgado Golf Resort, Portimão and, with the Portugal Masters scheduled for September at the Oceânico Victoria course in Vilamoura, 2017 promises to be another fantastic year for Algarve golf.
The overall significance of the Portuguese Open returning was underlined recently by Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, who emphasised that “the 2017 season promises to be a very significant one for the European Tour.”
This latest accolade for Algarve golf underlines the international status of the region and reflects the tremendous work carried out by the individuals and organisations dedicated to developing and promoting the sport. The NAU Hotels and Resorts group owns the Morgado course and CEO Mário Ferreira has conveyed his pride at hosting such a prestigious event and confirmed that “golf is a very important feature” of the organisation. He also paid tribute to the great work that is done to provide fitting environments for both “amateur and professional golf tournaments” and asserted that “Morgado Golf Resort and Portimão are (now) on the map of major international events”.
With the golden anniversary celebrations of 2016 having proved such a great success golfers in the Algarve can look forward to even more great golfing experiences in the coming year as jewels in the region’s crown – the Portuguese Open and the Portugal Masters – are set to shine as brightly as the sunshine in May and September.
