The Algarve golfer is the first-round leader at Palmares
– February 26, 2025
On February 25, Tomás Melo Gouveia finished the first day of the Optilink Tour Championship in the lead.
Gouveia carded an opening round of 67, 5 under par at the Palmares Ocean Living & Golf Resort in Lagos on Tuesday, and is now one shot ahead of a chasing trio that includes Ricardo Santos.
The multiple-day competition is being played on the Alvor and Lagos courses of Palmares Resort, which are considered the most challenging at this resort, and began under tougher-than-usual conditions due to hour-long showers and moderate winds, and with the decision of tournament director José Correia to use nearly all the ‘Tiger Tees’ (the furthest-back tee positions).
It was a day of intense competition, with Tomás Melo Gouveia leading by only one stroke from a trio of pursuers that included the Portuguese Ricardo Santos, the Scot Will Porter, and the England’s Alexander Ford.
The competition also saw two other Portuguese in the Top 10, from the 73 participants, Tomás Bessa and Daniel da Costa Rodrigues, who are part of a five-player group tied for seventh place with scores of 70, 2 under par.
Today, February 26 (Wednesday) will see the second and penultimate round, which started at 8am and with the last group leaving at 12.13pm. Tomás Melo Gouveia will play alongside Ricardo Santos and Will Porter.
Tomás Melo Gouveia
Gouveia is currently playing at the HotelPlanner Tour (ex-Challenge Tour) and took advantage of the nearly month-long break from Europe’s second division to return to the PT Tour, where he had started the season with a bang.
Having only played two tournaments, Gouveia won the 2nd Palmares Open (-22 on the Lagos-Praia courses) and came 7th (-2 on the Alvor-Lagos courses) in the 1st Palmares Open.
“I started the day very well, very solid on the first seven holes. In the second round, I played very solidly again, finished very well and I’m very happy with the result,” shared Tomás Melo Gouveia, who carded 1 eagle (on 17) and 5 birdies, to just 1 double-bogey (on hole 9).
“I hit a lot of fairways, I hit good shots on the green and I also made a few putts,” said the Algarve native who now lives in Lisbon and who has already done well on the 2025 HotelPlanner Tour, with a top-15 finish in February in South Africa and 18 under par.
Tomás could be the fourth Portuguese to win the Optilink Tour Championship after Ricardo Santos in 2022 (at the Victoria course in Vilamoura), Tomás Bessa in 2023 (at Vilamoura’s Laguna course) and Pedro Figueiredo in 2024 (at Quinta do Peru in Sesimbra).
Main Rankings of the Tournament and the Results of the Portuguese Players:
1st – Tomás Melo Gouveia, 67 (-5).
2nd (tied) – Ricardo Santos, 68 (-4).
2nd (tied) – Will Porter (Scotland), 68 (-4).
2nd (tied) – Alexander Ford (England), 68 (-4).
7th (tied) – Tomás Bessa, 70 (-2).
7th (tied) – Daniel da Costa Rodrigues, 70 (-2).
16th (tied) – Vasco Alves, 72 (Par).
16th (tied) – Hugo Camelo, 72 (Par).
32nd (tied) – Hugo Santos, 74 (+2).
40th (tied) – Vasco Silva, 76 (+4).
70th – João Costa, 90 (+18).
73rd – Duarte Reis Ferreira, 93 (+21).
About the Optilink Tour Championship
The Optilink Tour Championship is the season-ending event of the PT Tour. Established in 2019, the tournament was initially won by international players, but since 2022, only Portuguese competitors have claimed the title.
The PT Tour was created in 2012, under the previous name “Algarve Winter Tour”, which later became the “Algarve Pro Golf Tour”, the “Portugal Pro Golf Tour”, and is now known as simply PT Tour, under the former president of the PGA of Portugal and member of the FPG Board of Directors, José Correia.
This year marks its 6th edition, following a break in 2021 due to the pandemic.