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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 When the popular Kico Cabral of Palmares Course retired in the Spring he added to the several changes in Algarve Course Directors that have occurred this year. Sr. Miguel de Sousa is now the man in charge at the Palmares Course near Lagos. He joined the staff in the capacity of Commercial Director. Miguel hails from Porto in the north of Portugal and prior to moving to the Algarve. He had been working since 1996 in another division of the owning company Sonae, which amongst their many possessions they also own the Troia Golf Course south of Lisbon. His initial training for the organization had taken him to both England and California to learn the latest management and technical sides of specialized sport activities. It is always hard to step into the shoes of a previous very popular and successful Golf Director but Miguel brings with him enthusiasm and new ideas coupled with a very friendly approach. He has a major 'pet project' which he is determined to make active this coming January. Based on his past experience he is very concerned with the encouragement and education of young children into sport. In the beginning of 2003 the Palmares Golf Course will have a Junior Golf and Sport Academy to attract youngsters. Miguel has the same staff headed by Regina on reception and Antonio as Course Controller. On the course there is a new Greenkeeper in the name of Nelson Silva working under the control of Eng. Henrique de Silva from the Troia Course. When Nelson recently joined Palmares he brought with him the latest USA technical knowledge of all matters connected to the maintenance of golf courses. Plans are for a new irrigation system to be laid in 2003 but work on this is not planned to interrupt the play. Encouraged by many player's remarks that Palmares greens run fast and true, Miguel and Nelson wish to take their course to a higher level and their aim is to be rated amongst the top 100 in Europe. They already have decided advantages in other areas as the views of the ocean are panoramic, and as yet, there are no fairways lined with villas as planning permission for urban development has not been granted in the last 26 years! |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 The Millennium Course at Vilamoura which was inaugurated in the year 2000 and is firmly established on the Algarve circuit. With the opening of this 18-hole course it meant that the owners Lusotur became to leaders in the field with a total of four full courses within their estate. However, it is opportune to mention that a further and fifth course is already well advanced in construction. Sr. Eduardo de Sousa is the able Director of the Millennium Course. He took over the responsibility of this new course at its inauguration having been already managing the previous 27-hole Laguna. The Millennium is a combination of 9 new holes that meander skillfully through the pine forest to the north of the Clubhouse and 9 holes from the old Laguna. Eduardo is a 'home-grown' having grown up near the town of Almancil. As soon as he was old enough he used to act as a temporary caddy at the The Old Course in Vilamoura and as soon as he left school became a permanent employee. In 1978 he was promoted to Caddy Master. In 1985, when Lusotur purchased the Pinhal Course (previously known as the Dom Pedro Course), he moved across to supervise the new course and a year later appointed as its Golf Secretary. With the opening of the Laguna Course in 1990 Eduardo took up the position of its Golf Director. Looking back over the many years at Vilamoura Eduardo is very appreciative of the changes that have occurred in the interim. In the 70s and early 80s, the playing service of the courses was not to the high standard that they now offer. Also, the early friendly and enthusiastic service by staff that golfers received was eroded. Due to the great advance in knowledge and equipment for treating courses the 90s was marked by their level of improvement. In the 90s the playing numbers raised significantly creating a new challenges for Eduardo's team. This changing face has necessitated an ongoing programme of staff education to retain the quality of service that is so necessary in any tourist associated business. In the words of Eduardo 'a smile, friendly and warm, good application, it works well. Our job is to anticipate the needs and demands of visiting golfers'. He firmly believes that only the happy marriage between these two essential qualities can work for the future of the Algarve and generally reward the players for their green fees. The Clubhouse for the Millennium doubles for the Laguna so Eduardo maintains two teams on the combined Reception Desk. For the Millennium course Aninhas heads Anna and Solage. For the Laguna course Francisca heads Luisa and Sonia. The Caddymaster for both is the well known Dimas who has been with Lusotur since 1976. He is assisted by Joaquim Figueirao, Hilario and Joao. The overall direction of the condition of the Course falls under Eng. Simao da Cunha, with Eng. Luis Alves as personally responsible for the Millennium. The pros are Abilio Coelho and Joaquim Catarino. The first of these two has been with Lusotur since 1978 and is very instrumental in coaching the successful Vilamoura Summer Golf School for young players. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Lee Westwood signed a contract with the Pinheiros Altos Group to represent their Company on the PGA Tour for the next five years. This move is coordinated with a substantial expansion of the Groups activities in the Algarve golf world. Lusotur held a ceremony this past summer for the official announcement of their new 18-hole 'Victoria Clube de Golfe' designed by the respected veteran Arnold Palmer. The anticipated opening of the course is set for April 2004. A special mention is made to the efforts of the 'ACCA & Eyes Charity Pro-Am Tournament' which raised a sum of € 4.350.000 in their second annual event. The winning team was from Quinta da Ria headed by Natascha Fink. |
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Santo Antonio Sun, 1st Jun 2003 The 2002 'PGA Europro Tour Final' at Parque da Floresta was won by Paul McKechnie from Scotland and received a cheque for € 3.000.000. His second round score was an impressive 62, but it was only in the closing round with 68 that he successfully beat off the rest of the field. The two day Pro-Am was won by celebrities Steve Davies, Stephan Henry and Mark Williams. The 'Peugeot Challenge' was won by Emonn Brady who gained a brand new Peugeot 206SW. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 The 2002 Ryder Cup The Belfry - Sutton Coldfield - England - 27th to 29th September, 2002 Europe won the 2002 Ryder Cup with 15 1/2 points against USA 12 1/5 points. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 WGC - EMC2 World Cup Vista Vallarta - Puerto Vallarta - Mexico - 12th to 15th December, 2002 Japan was the winner. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Padraig Harrington commenced his quest for the 2003 Volvo Order of Merit title in perfect fashion as he won the co-sanctioned BMW Asian Open at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club in Taiwan. Padraig remains at World No.8 and takes his consecutive weeks within the World Top 10 to 21. Runner-up Jyoti Randhawa remains the top-ranked golfer in India as he progresses 78 places up to No. 237. Trevor Immelman breaks into the World Top 100 at No. 98 as he finished T-3. In the showcase event on the Japan Golf Tour, Kaname Yokoo overcame a wealth of International talent to win the Dunlop Phoenix tournament at the Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki. Yokoo advances 141 places on the World Ranking to No.119 while runner-up Sergio Garcia returns to the World No.4 position. The Korean Choi Kyoung-Ju finished in outright third place and moves up 8 places to No.41 in the World Rankings. On the Australasian PGA Tour, Steve Allan won the 54-hole Holden Australian Open by one shot from Rich Beem, Craig Parry and Aaron Baddeley. Allan breaks into the Top 200 for the first time in his career at No.190 and is the 20th highest ranked Australian in the world. Of the runners-up, Baddeley caps off an excellent season by moving to World No.195. Rich Beem progresses to World No.26 while Craig Parry continues his remarkable season by advancing No.38. At the final official event of the 2002 PGA Tour season, Vijay Singh moved to World No.7 as he won the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Georgia. The Fijian, who started the year at No.8 held off the challenges of runner-up Charles Howell III and the 3rd placed David Toms to collect his second PGA Tour victory of the year. Charles Howell's runner-up finish completes a fantastic 1,T-6.T-14 and 2 end-of-season finish as he moved up 9 places to No.23. This is a 22-place improvement for the year. David Toms third-place finish means that he replaces Sergio Garcia at World No.5. In the final event of the 2002 European Tour season, Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer were made joint winners of the Volvo Masters Andalucia after poor light ended their two-hole play off. The Ryder Cup stalwarts both finished on a 3-under par total of 281 with high winds and tough conditions meaning that only the duo and runner-up Bradley Dredge broke par. Colin Montgomerie continues his resurgence up the World Ranking as he improved 3 places to World No.11 while Bernhard Langer moved up 14 places to No.17. To cap off an excellent T-5th, 5th, 3rd finish to his season, Bradley Dredge enjoyed a 20-place improvement on the previous week as he moved to No.71. Dredge's world ranking improvement of 167 positions in 2002 means that he is now the No.1 Welshman in the world. Colin Montgomerie moved up one place and back into the World Top 10 in the World Ranking as he fired a final-round 67 to win the inaugural TCL Classic at the Harbour Plaza Golf Club in Dongguan, China. The seven-time Order of Merit winner is enjoying his second victory in as many weeks and after starting the year at World No.14, and he has improved 4 places on the World Ranking in 2002. 2001 Davidoff Tour Order of Merit title winner Thongchai Jaidee remained the top-ranked Thai golfer on the World Ranking as his runner-up finish elevates him 53 places and into the World Top 200 at No.198. China's rising star Lian Wen-chong finished in a career best third position and after Zhang Lian-Wei at world No.139, Lian Wen-chong is now the second highest ranked Chinese golfer in world. On the Japan Golf Tour, Tsuneyuki Nakajima held on to his third-round lead to win the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters at the Taiheiyo Country Club. Tsuneyuki improving 26 places to World No.72. Padraig Harrington commenced his quest for the 2003 Volvo Order of Merit title in perfect fashion as he won the co-sanctioned BMW Asian Open at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club in Taiwan. Padraig Harrington remained at World No.8. Runner-up Jyoti Randhawa remained the top-ranked golfer in India as he progresses 78 places to No. 237. Trevor Immelman moved into the World Top 100 at No. 98 as he finished T-3. In the showcase event on the Japan Golf Tour, Kaname Yokoo overcame a wealth of International talent to win the Dunlop Phoenix tournament at the Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki. Yokoo advances 141 places on the World Ranking to No.119 while runner-up Sergio Garcia returned to the World No.4 position. The Korean Choi Kyoung-Ju finished in outright third place and moved up 8 places to No.41 in the World Ranking. On the Southern Africa Tour, Hennie Otto completed the biggest victory of his career when he won the Nashua Masters at Wild Coast Sun Country Club. Hennie Otto improved 122 places and is now No.273 in the World. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 On the US PGA Tour Charles Howell III became the 14th first-time winner on Tour of this season as he earned his first career victory at the Michelob Championship at Kingsmill Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia. The 23-year old from Augusta, Georgia improved 21 places to No.39 in the World Ranking. Phil Tataurangi shot a final round 10-under par 62 to win the Invensys Classic in Las Vegas and he becomes another first-time winner on the PGA Tourin 2002. Tataurangi improves his world ranking by 92 positions and for the first time in his career the Kiwi is now inside the World Top 100 at No.74. Phil, Tataurangi who started off the year at World No.474, became the ninth highest ranked Australasian and the second highest ranked New Zealand after Michael Campbell at No.19. Jeff Sluman's runner-up finish elevated the American to No.41 in the World, whilst the same runner-up finish for Stuart Appleby moved him up 8 places to No.37. Bob Burns became yet another first time winner when he won his first PGA Tour event this year by overcoming both Chris DiMarco and the World No.1 Tiger Woods to win the Disney Golf Classic. Bob Burns climbed a remarkable 142 places to 49th highest ranked American player at World No.99. Runner-up Chris DiMarco improved to become the new World No.12, while third-placed Tiger Woods continued his domination at the summit with the gap between him and World No.2 Phil Mickelson became 8.87 points. David Toms finished T6 at Walt Disney World but remained at World No.7 as the Cisco World Match Play participants Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington all held their World No.3, 4, 5 and 6 positions respectively. An one of the leading events on the Japan Golf Tour circuit, David Smail from New Zealand won the Japan Open at Shimonoseki Golf Club by 4 strokes. David Small moved up 71 positions to World No. 115 and remained the 4th highest ranked golfer from New Zealand behind Michael Campbell (No.18), last weeks PGA Tour winner Phil Tataurangi (No.74) and Sawgrass Victor Craig Perks (No.82) In other tournaments, Didier De Vooght from Belgium won the Fortis Bank Challenge Open at Van Nymegen Golf Club in Holland and Didier became World No. 400. In the US PGA Tour golfer Jonathan Byrd continued his recent good trend as he became the 17th first-time winner on the Tour this year winning the Buick Challenge at the Callaway Gardens Resort with a round of 63. Runner-up David Toms moved up one place to No.6 in that weeks ranking. On the Australasian Tour, Andre Stolz enjoyed a 94-position improvement in his World Ranking as he won the ANZ Victorian Open. Andre Stolz moved from No.266 to No.172. On the European Challenge Tour Peter Lawrie improved 140 laces to World No. 401 with his win at the Challenge Tour Grand Final at the Golf du Medoc Club in France. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Robert Karlsson - (Sweden) Omega European Masters Crans-sur-Sierre - Crans Montana - Switzerland - 5th to 8th September Sweden's Robert Karlsson won the Omega European Masters by four strokes on the European Tour in Switzerland. He defeated his nearest rivals Trevor Immelman from South Africa and Paul Lawrie from Scotland. Robert Karlsson victory over Trevor Immelman and Paul Lawrie meant that he moved up 51 places in the World Ranking to Nº 64. Trevor Immelman moved up to just outside the Top 100 at No.102 and this was his highest career World Ranking position. Paul Lawrie advanced nine places to Nº 48. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Stephen Leaney - (Australia) Linde German Masters Golf Club Gut Larchenhof - Cologne - Germany - 12th to 15th September, 2002 By just the one stroke Australian Stephen Leaney took the win from Alex Cejka from Germany at the German Masters in Cologne on the Tour. Behind him was a group of three players, Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty and Ian Woosman. Stephen Leaney took home the largest cheque of his professional career and a 5-year Tour exemption to Nº 110. He moved up 68 places to World Nº 61. Alex Cejka moved up 48 places to Nº 110. This was a landmark week for all the T-3 finishers; Ian Woosnam returned to the Top 100 at Nº 88, Paul Casey reached his career highest World Ranking of Nº 79, and Nick Dougherty entered the World Top 150 at Nº 132. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Tiger Woods - (USA) WGC - American Express Championship Mount Juliet - Thomastown - Co. Kilkenny - Ireland - 19th to 22nd September, 2003 Tiger Woods won the American Express Championships in Ireland by just one stroke from South African Retief Goosen. with Vijay Singh from Fiji a further two stokes back. After the third of this year's World Golf Championship events, Tiger Woods extended his lead at the summit of the World Rankings to 8.89 points as he shot a 25-under par total of 263 at the Mount Juliet Club in Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Tiger Woods collection of 34 PGA Tour titles now includes two American Express Championships, a hat-trick of NEC Invitational titles and the 2000 WGC - EMC World Cup that he won with David Duval – the present World No.12. Retief Goosen replaced Sergio Garcia at World Nº 4 as he equaled the new course record of 62 and finished as runner-up. Vijay Singh finished in 3rd place to taking World Nº 8 spot and moved Padraig Harrington to World Nº 9. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Padraig Harrington - (Ireland) Dunhill Links Championship Old Course - St. Andrews - Carnoustie & Kingsbarns - Scotland - 3rd to 6th October, 2002 Padraig Harrington moved up 3 places to a World Ranking position of No.6 after he overcame Eduardo Romero on the second playoff hole to win the $5 million Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. Harrington birdied the final hole of regulation play to force the play-off and then went on to birdie the second extra hole and take home € 818,662. Runner-up Eduardo Romero moved up 16 places to a new career-best position at No.19. Third-place finishers; Vijay Singh remained at No.8; Colin Montgomerie continued his climb as he moved up 4 places to No.13; Sandy Lyle improved 174 positions to the World No.212. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Alex Cejka - (Germany) Trophee Lancome Saint-Nom-La-Breteche - Paris - France - 10th to 13th October, 2003 On the European Tour that week, Alex Cejka from Germany ended seven winless years on the European Tour as he secured victory in the 33rd Trophee Lancome in France by beating Carlos Rodiles from Spain by two strokes. The 31 year old German improved 43 places to World No.67. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Ernie Els - (South Africa) Cisco World Match Play Championship Wentworth Club - Virginia Water - Surrey - England - 17th to 29th October, 2002 Ernie Els of South Africa and Spain's Sergio Garcia contested the final of the Cisco World Match Play Championship at Wentworth Club but at the end of a day in which the two highest ranked players remaining in the event it was Ernie Els who claimed the victory. |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Steen Tinning - (Denmark) Telefonica Open de Madrid Club de Campo - Madrid - Spain - 24th to 27th October, 2002 Steen Tinning from Denmark collected his second European Tour victory of his career as he produced a final-round 67 to win the Telefonica Open de Madrid at the Club de Campo course in central Spain. Steen Tinning moved up 110 positions on the World Ranking that week and shared the 132nd spot with Taichi Teshima of Japan. Tinning has improved 128 places in total this year and is now the 4th highest ranked Dane on the World Ranking after Thomas Bjorn (No.36), Anders Hansen (No.68) and Soren Hansen (No.90). |
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Sun, 1st Jun 2003 Ian Poulter - (England) Italian Open Olgiata - Rome - Italy - 31st to 3rd November, 2002 In the penultimate event of the European Tour season, Ian Poulter won the weather-shortened Italian Open Telecom Italia at the Olgiata Golf Club in Rome. Ian Poulter's second Italian Open victory in three years moved him up 32 places from No.112 to No.80. Ian Poulter now became the third-highest ranked Englishman on the World Ranking behind 22-year old Justin Rose (No.43) and 6-time Major winner Nick Faldo (No.62). Runner-up Paul Lawrie moved up 9 places and back into the World Top 50 at No.44. |
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