Each month 10 names are randomly selected from all golfers that have used our online Booking Form. From these 10 golfers a second draw is made for the winner of the prize sponsored by Hotel Le Meridien Hotel Penina ***** and Golf Course, and Dona Filipa Hotel ***** & San Lorenzo Golf Course in the Algarve. The monthly prize includes a standard "weekend break accommodation" with breakfast for two in the Hotel specified, together with a round of golf for two guests on the course attached to the Hotel.

All of the 10 golfers of each month will be listed in our Newsletter and notified by separate e-mail. The nominated golfers who were drawn for the month of May are listed below.

Andrew Hornby - Bengt Moreau - Conor Noone - Daniel Gallagher - Derek Thompson
Hans Bergh - Natasha Waterbeek - R. Blackmove - Sami Nummelin - Susan Meecham

General News
We regret that this month we are unable to update you on the past local golfing events in Portugal in May due to unforeseen commitments. It is anticipated that things will be back to normal  next month with our regular comments.

However, we have one piece of news of interest, in that several Golf Courses have now introduced a new lower green fee rates for players sharing a buggy at certain times of the year - (i.e. two players playing 18 holes sharing the same buggy for a set package price.)

Sean O'Hair shot a 3-under-par final round of 69 for a one stroke victory at the Quail Hollow Championship from Bubba Watson and Lucas Glover. World Number One Tiger Woods finished one further stroke back in 4th place. O'Hair picks up his third PGA Tour win five weeks after finishing second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The win took O'Hair, who started the year as Nº 59, to a career high of Nº 12, a rise of 10 places.

Thomas Levet claimed his fifth European Tour title - a record for a French player - by two strokes from Paraguay's Fabrizio Zanotti at the Open de España at PGA Golf Catalunya. Two shots further back in joint third were Ireland's Peter Lawrie and Dane Thomas Björn. Levet made a 65 placet jump in the World Golf Ranking to Nº 111.

That week's other winners were Tetsuji Hiratsuka at the The Crowns on the Japan Golf Tour and Robert Coles at the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour.

Paul Casey won the BMW PGA Championship over the West Course at Wentworth Club by a single stroke from Wentworth Scholarship Graduate Ross Fisher with 3 birdies in the final 4 holes. Casey started the week as the player who had won the most total World Ranking Points in 2009 and the win took him to Nº 3. This improvement of 4 places made him the highest ranked Englishman since Nick Faldo in November 1996.

Rory Sabbatini won the HP Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, Texas. Winning courtesy of three straight birdies from the 15th allowing him the luxury of a bogey finish for a two stroke win over England's Brian Davis. This was a first PGA Tour win for Sabbatini since the 2007 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and took the South African to World Nº 27 an improvement of 16 places.

Edoardo Molinari won the Piemonte Open on the European Challenge Tour and climbed to World Nº 315.

Henrik Stenson played a commanding final round of 6-under-par 66 at TPC Sawgrass to take The Players Championship. The Swede was one of six men, also including world number one Tiger Woods and England's Ian Poulter, to start the day in a tie for second place. Poulter played a fine round of 70 to finish second alone, four strokes back. Stenson becomes only the third European winner in the tournament's 36-year history, following Sandy Lyle in 1987 and Sergio Garcia 12 months ago. The win
takes Stenson to World Nºr 5 with a rise of 4 places and matching his ranking after his WGC-Accenture Match Play win in 2007.

Daniel Vancsik produced a dazzling six under par round of 65 to coast to a six stroke win at the BMW Italian Open. The Argentinean carded eight birdies and two bogeys to finish the week 17 under par - six better than John Daly, Raphaël Jacquelin and Robert Rock. The win is the second for the 32 year old Vancsik’s on The European Tour, and took him to World Nºr 213 with a jump of 207 places.

Irish Amateur Shane Lowry secured victory at The 3 Irish Open at Co Louth GC, Baltray, in his first ever appearance at a World Ranking Qualifying event as he beat Robert Rock at the third extra hole. A second round of 62 had gave Lowry a two stroke lead after 36 holes and with two final rounds of 71 meant a tie with Rock who also shot a final round of 71. While Lowry couldn't claim any of the prize money on offer he does have the compensation of qualification for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the WGC-HSBC Champions. Lowry started the week at 16th in the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking and after this win he became a new entry into the Official World Golf Ranking at 168th.

Zach Johnson sank a ten foot birdie putt at the first extra hole to successfully defend his Valero Texas Open title beating James Driscoll who had earlier surged from eight strokes back at La Cantera Golf Club to post a target of 15-under-par 265. Johnson's second win of 2009, and third in just over 6 months, took him to World Nº 19 with an improvement of 7 places.

That week's other winners were Michael Sim at the BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Nationwide Tour, Bae Sang-moon at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on the Asian Tour and Lee S James at the ALLIANZ Open Cotes d'Armor Bretagne on the Challenge Tour.

Steve Stricker triumphed at the second extra hole to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial after a three-way play-off. Stricker's birdie was enough to claim the title from Steve Marino and Tim Clark, who had led by two shots with five holes of his final round to play. Stricker picked up his fifth PGA Tour win and adds this win to second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh place finishes this year. The win takes Stricker back into the World Top 10 with a 5 place jump to World Nº 8.

Christian Cévaër from France began the week as the World Number 449 and without a top 30 finish in his last 15 tournaments, but he overcame a star-studded field to win The European Open and jump 320 places to World Nº 129. The 39 year old, whose only previous European Tour victory was the 2004 Open de España, beat England's Steve Webster, Scot Gary Orr and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros by a shot.

Takashi Kanemoto from Japan defeated Brendan Jones from Australia in a Sudden Death Play-Off for the Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf on the Japan Golf Tour. Kanemoto jumps 351 places in the Official World Golf Ranking to 262nd. This week's other winners were Kevin Johnson at the The Rex Hospital Open on the Nationwide Tour and Francois Calmels at the Telenet Trophy on the European Challenge Tour.