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Bjerregaard ready to make more Portugal memories
September 18, 2018
After producing one of the best performances of his career at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, defending champion Lucas Bjerregaard is looking forward to another memorable week at the Portugal Masters.
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The Dane sealed his maiden European Tour title 12 months ago, firing eight birdies in a magnificent closing round of 65 to finish at 20 under par and four shots clear of Scotland's Marc Warren.“ I have fond memories, and not just of last year. I've always loved coming here, the same with my family. My girlfriend has been here every year that I've been on tour. We enjoy coming here and it's no different this year."
The big-hitting 27 year old has followed up his first win with a further seven top ten finishes this season, including tied third at the BMW PGA Championship – his best-ever result at a Rolex Series event.
“I've played well recently. The game is feeling good and I've just had a nice week resting at home to get ready for the end of the year."
“My girlfriend was 30 weeks pregnant the last time we were here so it's fun to bring the little one with us this time. It's really nice here and I look forward to the week. It's a great resort and everyone seems to bring their families here. It's good fun.”
China's Ashun Wu is returning to Portugal for a second successive year, after claiming his third European Tour title at the KLM Open last week. He is feeling good after some hard work on the practice range led to last week's victory in The Netherlands, and after a tied seventh place finish on his debut appearance at the Portugal Masters last year he feels it's a place where he could find success again.
“You have to come back to the tournament this week. You don't think about last week, you just have to focus. This week it's a good place, it's a good resort and town. It's like a vacation place and you can enjoy it and relax but you still need to focus on golf."
“From the Czech Masters my coach came over from America to help me and we've done some work on my swing to fix it a little bit. We've kept doing that and I think it has worked. So we trust that and work every week. It's been a little bit of a change for me and we started to play well in the last few weeks."
“I like this this golf course, I played last year and I really liked it. I played pretty good and got a top ten. I think this week could be a good week for me too."
Scotland's Connor Syme also has fond memories of the Arnold Palmer-designed Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in the golfing mecca of Vilamoura in the south of Portugal, where he claimed a tied 12 th place finish in his first appearance as a professional last season.
“It feels like a lot has happened in a year, although it has been pretty quick at the same time. There are a few things I would have liked to have done differently but it's been a positive first year as a pro."
“There have been a lot of positives – I had a great second place, which has given me a great chance of retaining my card for next year. There have been a few sore ones, missing cuts by one, and the travel has been a bit different so I'm definitely learning all the time."
“It's nice to come back to familiar ground this week and the rest of the season it will all be courses I have played before thanks to invites last year. That will be an exciting finish to the season.”
This year he will tee it up amongst a field that includes Ryder Cup players Sergio Garcia and Thorbjørn Olesen, as he aims to add to the runner up spot at the Shot Clock Masters earlier this year that could go a long way towards securing his European Tour card for a second season.
