Portugal Masters 2007
17/10/07 to 21/10/07
The inaugural Portugal Masters was a roaring success as the Oceânico Group played host to a major tournament beamed live across the world to hundreds of millions of people watching on TV.
PORTUGAL MASTERS 2007
The inaugural Portugal Masters was a roaring success as the Oceânico Group played host to a major tournament beamed live across the world to hundreds of millions of people watching on TV.
More than 20 major countries including the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Australia, Canada and, of course, Portugal watched live coverage of the €3m European Tour event with nations like France taking many hours of highlights.
And the whole four-day festival of top professional golf showcased Oceânico′s commitment to the game, whilst also giving golfers across the globe a close-up of the superb Oceânico Victoria Clube de Golfe in Vilamoura, where the tournament was played.
Many of the world′s top golfers were involved and afterwards were fulsome in their praise of the quality of the course and the support structure which contributed so much to getting the tournament off to a flying start on the Arnold Palmer-designed course, which also hosts the event in 2008 and 2009.
The PGA′s European Tour director Peter Adams led the praise at the prizegiving ceremony when he congratulated Oceânico Golf on the quality of the venue, highlighting the course conditions, the hospitality, the organization from the Oceânico team and the food and staff in the clubhouse.
He also congratulated Oceânico on the superb weather during the four days of golf, but that, of course, was the one aspect of the triumphant tournament for which we can claim no credit!!
The Portugal Masters is a European Tour men's professional golf tournament which was played for the first time on 18-21 October 2007. The prize fund was €3 million, making it the richest golf tournament in the country, and comfortably in the top half of European Tour events.
It is jointly staged by The European Tour and the Portuguese Tourist Board (ITP) under an initial three year agreement, and hosted by the Oceânico Group.
Oceânico′s team created a wonderful six-day festival of golf for the spectators, and also for many amateur enthusiasts.
The Group hosted a 6teesix competition (the first time this new ′golf in an hour′ concept, created to emulate cricket′s highly successful and exciting Twenty20 format has been held outside the UK) featuring our own Darren Clarke and Oceânico villa owners golf stars Lee Westwood, Paul Broadhurst, Retief Goosen, David Howell and Paul McGinley, which was followed by a hugely enjoyable ProAm competition.
And playing alongside the Masters, on our Millennium and Laguna courses, was the 6th annual John Aldridge Charity Golf Classic which once again raised a record-breaking amount for charities in the UK, Ireland and Portugal.
Spectators and golfers were also able to visit exhibitions showcasing the Phase One launches of Oceânico′s Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort and the Vilamoura Golf & Garden Resort.
The Masters itself was a dramatic affair, with the Victoria course record being shattered on day one by Martin Kaymer, who shot a stunning 11 under par 61 to grab the first round lead.
The 22 year old underlined his reputation as the next golfing superstar from Germany by cramming 11 birdies into his flawless effort, five in a row in his last five holes, to clip two shots off the previous record.
It was also the joint best round of the season on The European Tour.
But by the end of the final day there was a tearful and emotional climax when England's Steve Webster won the Masters, and the €500,000 first prize with the European Tour's best winning final round of the season, a 64.
Webster's only previous European Tour victory in over a decade as a pro was the Italian Open two years ago.
He claimed the Masters title with a 25-under-par total that was the lowest of the season then, remembering the death of his mother earlier this year, collapsed in tears.
After being congratulated by his father Terry, Webster said his victory was an emotion-packed affair.
"I lost my mum in the early part of the season and it really knocked me about," he told reporters. "I didn't think I'd even keep my card because it was tough.
"It was so hard out there, especially coming down the stretch, because I was thinking about my mum all the time and it was so hard to keep my mind on the golf. But I knew she was looking down on me."
FINAL LEADERBOARD (GB & IRE unless stated)
- -25 St Webster
- -23 R Karlsson (Swe)
- -20 D Vancsik (Arg)
- -19 L Westwood; S Hansen (Den)
- - 17 R Fisher
- - 17 M Kaymer (Ger)
- - 17 C Schwartzel (RSA)
- - 17 S Walker
- - 16 A Quiros (ESP)
- - 15 R-J Derksen (NED)
- - 15 B Dredge (WAL)
- - 15 T Jaidee (THA)
- - 15 A Noren (SWE)