Abreu led the team to a dominant victory in a high-scoring Tour Scramble format at Oporto Golf Club
– May 28, 2025 | Photo Ricardo Stringfellow
Alexandre Abreu won the Pro-Am competition at the VI Solverde Players Championship, a tournament organised by the Portuguese Golf Federation and PGA Portugal, with €15,000 in prize money. The event concluded on May 16 at the Oporto Golf Club in Espinho.
Abreu, who usually plays on the Pro Golf Tour – one of the third-tier circuits of European professional golf – teamed up with amateurs Maria Miguel Pinho, Ana Cristina Montenegro, and Alfredo Araújo Almeida. Together, they finished on 48 strokes under par (net), a seemingly huge score that is explained by the Tour Scramble format chosen by the PGA Portugal, also used in the Portuguese Open on the HotelPlanner Tour.
In this format, all four players tee off and the second shot by each player is played from the spot of the best tee shot among them. From there, the two best scores of the team on each hole are counted. Only birdies or better are recorded, and players can pick up their ball if it becomes clear they won’t make at least a birdie.
There was also a variation compared to the HotelPlanner Tour Pro-Am format, where the professional was allowed to use the best team tee shot – even if it came from an amateur – for their second shot. This encouraged professionals to take more aggressive tee shots, giving amateurs the chance to witness some powerful drives.
“It’s a very different format,” said Alexandre Abreu. “If the pro is hitting well off the tee, the amateurs, even with higher handicaps, can really benefit from our distance and end up making a lot of birdies and eagles. As for us professionals, it’s always full attack.”
The second-place team was led by Algarve pro Hugo Santos alongside amateurs Ricardo Garcia, Alexandre Alves, and Artur Soares Dias, finishing at 32 under par. To decide third place, a tiebreak system was applied based on the combined handicaps of the amateur players, with the team having the lowest total handicap securing the final podium spot. This was won by Daniel da Costa Rodrigues and amateurs Miguel Teixeira Bastos, António Pinheiro Almeida, and António Castro Ribeiro, who finished at 31 under par.
Final results of the VI Solverde Players Championship Pro-Am at Oporto Golf Club:
1st Alexandre Abreu, Ana Cristina Montenegro, Maria Miguel Pinho and Alfredo Araújo Almeida, -48.
2nd Hugo Santos, Alexandre Alves, Artur Soares Dias and Ricardo Garcia, -32.
3rd Daniel da Costa Rodrigues, Miguel Teixeira Bastos, António Pinheiro Almeida and António Castro Ribeiro, -31.
The third tournament on the FPG and PGA Portugal circuit will be the National Professional Championship, at Troia Golf, in the municipality of Grandola, taking place between July 23 to 26, with a probable prize money of €20,000.
You might also like:
Algarvian Tomás Melo Gouveia cinches third place at the new Portuguese Pro Golf Circuit