Algarve-native Tomás Melo Gouveia wins inaugural Montebelo Golf Classic tournament and leads his Pro-Am team to victory the following day
– April 29, 2025
The Algarvian Tomás Melo Gouveia bagged a double last Saturday at the Pro-Am (April 26) in Viseu, a day after becoming the first champion of the Montebelo Golf Classic (April 25), the inaugural tournament of the new Professional Golf Circuit.
In a commentary to SportTV’s “Golf & Golfers” programme, Tomás Melo Gouveia shared: “It was a very fun day, in very good company and it’s much easier to play this way.”
Not having played on the Caramulo’s course in Viseu for several years, Gouveia adapted well to its challenges, leading a team that included the director of Montebelo Golfe, Bruno Melo; the former president of the Viseu Golf Club, Carlos Tinoco; and the player who received the prize for best amateur in the professionals’ Open, Luís Albuquerque Rodrigues.
The winning team totalled 84 net points, just 1 point more than the runner-up, made up of pro golfer Pedro Almeida and amateurs Jacinto Pinto, Henrique Pinheiro Ferreira and Leonel Seixas.
Three teams finished with 81 points, and a tie-breaker was used to determine the third place (based on the best score for the last 9 holes), which went to the team led by pro golfer Hugo Santos, joined by amateurs José Marques Oliveira, Jorge Toste, and Joel Pereira.
The tournament champion later added that it’s always special to play with amateurs who know the Montebelo course: “You always learn to play with players from the course itself, especially on this course, which is very demanding and requires local knowledge. It’s always a pleasure to play with people like that.”
Amateur Luís Albuquerque Rodrigues returned the compliment and explained how it feels to play with a ‘star’ of the HotelPlanner Tour (ex-Challenge Tour) like Melo Gouveia.
“It’s a different experience, it’s a completely different game, you realise what it’s like to play for real. Tomás is an excellent person and you could see there why he won, he’s fantastic and there are no words,” shared the tournament’s best amateur, who finished 14th in the overall standings with 16 strokes over par.
During the prize ceremony, where Tomás Melo Gouveia was invited to the stage twice and gave a speech, another standout moment came when the FPG presented Pedro Lencart and Montebelo Golfe director Bruno Melo with a replica of Lencart’s second-round scorecard. That round set a new course record of 67 strokes, five under par, under conditions allowing ball placement on the fairway. The previous record, also held by Lencart, was 70 (-2), set in 2020. Bruno Melo noted that this new mark will be tough to beat anytime soon.
Montebelo Golfe’s director shared that he is already “in negotiations” with the FPG and the Portuguese PGA in order for the tournament to continue to be part of the Professional Golf Circuit calendar in 2026.
The awards ceremony was attended by key figures in Portuguese golf, including Alexandre Abreu, member of the Board of the Portuguese PGA; João Coutinho, national technical director of the FPG and tournament director; and Pedro Nunes Pedro, president of the Portuguese Golf Federation, who emphasised that “it’s in [the FPG’s] strategic plan to support the professionals”. He underlined the importance of giving players the assurance that a professional circuit is being held in Portugal through the five-event series, the National Championship, and additional tournaments that may be introduced in the future.
Next month, the second tournament of the National Golf Circuit will be the Solverde Players Championship, held at Oporto Golf Club in Espinho from May 14 to 16. Like the Montebelo Golf Classic, it will offer a €10,000 prize, with €2,000 awarded to the winner.