Local boy Ricardo Melo Gouveia (pictured) won The Tile Mountain Classic at the Laranjal course in central Algarve. Opponent Joáo Ramos scored a magnificent birdie on 12 to lead Gouveia by four shots before Gouveia then embarked on a fantastic run including birdies at 13 and 15 and an eagle on 16 to challenge the leader. Ramos was in trouble after a potentially fatal bogie on 15 but he rallied magnificently with a brave birdie at the last to ensure a play-off. Following both players’ excellent drives Gouveia’s then arrowed his approach shot to within ten feet while Ramos’s second found sand and from where he was unable to match Gouveia’s victorious eagle putt. Fierce competition characterised the tournament and the thrilling finalé was a fitting climax to the event.
Standards on the Algarve Pro Golf Tour continue to rise and with incentives of European Tour places including the 2017 Portuguese Open be held at the Algarve’s Morgado golf course the upward trend of quality competition is set to continue into this year and beyond.