Zach Johnson shot an 8-under 64 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the inaugural Portugal Invitational at The Els Club Vilamoura.
The 50-year-old PGA Tour Champions rookie birdied his first three holes and covered the two nines in 31 and 33. Rory Sabbatini sits second after a bogey-free 65, while Alex Čejka, Charlie Wi, Pádraig Harrington and Mikael Lundberg share third at 6 under.
Johnson’s 64 was his fourth round of that number or lower this season. He has also recorded three rounds of 63 during his first campaign on the senior circuit.
Johnson Continues His Rookie Run
Johnson entered the week second behind Stewart Cink in the Charles Schwab Cup standings after winning three times in his first 10 PGA Tour Champions starts. Each victory came by at least four strokes, including a six-shot success at the Kaulig Companies Championship.
The two-time major champion has finished inside the top-10 at every event he has played this season. His other results include a tie for second at the Hoag Classic, while his lowest finish was a tie for eighth at the Senior PGA Championship.
A victory on Sunday would make Johnson the first PGA Tour Champions rookie to win four times in a season since Harrington in 2022. This is his second opening-round lead or co-lead on the circuit. He held the first-round lead at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic earlier this year before finishing third.
Johnson, winner of the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open Championship, previously competed in Portugal at the 2005 WGC-World Cup. He and playing partner Stewart Cink finished tied for 17th at Victoria Clube de Golfe, the course since redesigned by Ernie Els.
“Being back in the Algarve, being back here in Vilamoura, it’s special,” Johnson said before the tournament.
Starting strong in Portugal 💪
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 31, 2026
Zach Johnson posts the low round of the day with an 8-under 64 at The Els Club Vilamoura. pic.twitter.com/XIvuaY3vkQ
Sabbatini Leads the Chasing Group
Sabbatini’s 65 was his lowest round of 2026 and left him one stroke from his first PGA Tour Champions title. The Slovakian turned 50 on April 2 and is making his 10th start on the circuit.
The six-time PGA Tour winner finished two strokes behind Johnson at the 2007 Masters. His most recent victory came at the 2011 Cognizant Classic, leaving him with a chance to end a winless stretch of more than 15 years.
Harrington reached 6-under through 10 holes before closing with eight consecutive pars for a 66. Čejka joined him by birdieing four of his final eight holes.
Cink, the Charles Schwab Cup leader and a four-time winner this season, opened with a 67. Tournament host and course designer Els was 6 under before a double bogey at the 18th left him tied for 13th after a 68.
The 54-hole event continues through Sunday. It is the first PGA Tour Champions tournament staged in Europe, with 78 players competing for a $3 million purse and a $450,000 winner’s share.
Related: Portugal Invitational: A first look at The Els Club Vilamoura ahead of Portugal’s PGA TOUR Champions debut
| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zach Johnson | -8 | 64 |
| 2 | Rory Sabbatini | -7 | 65 |
| T3 | Alex Cejka | -6 | 66 |
| T3 | Charlie Wi | -6 | 66 |
| T3 | Padraig Harrington | -6 | 66 |
| T3 | Mikael Lundberg | -6 | 66 |
| T7 | Darren Fichardt | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Paul Stankowski | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Chad Campbell | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Boo Weekley | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Stewart Cink | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Dicky Pride | -5 | 67 |
| T13 | Tag Ridings | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Tim O'Neal | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Jason Caron | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Y.E. Yang | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Doug Barron | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Cameron Percy | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Retief Goosen | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Vaughn Taylor | -4 | 68 |
| T13 | Ernie Els | -4 | 68 |
| T22 | Jamie Donaldson | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Ricardo Gonzalez | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Greg Owen | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Freddie Jacobson | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Stephen Ames | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Keith Horne | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Justin Leonard | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Bernhard Langer | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Bob Estes | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Jerry Kelly | -3 | 69 |
| T22 | Paul Goydos | -3 | 69 |
| T33 | Mark Hensby | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Stuart Appleby | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Simon Griffiths | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Steve Allan | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | David Duval | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Søren Kjeldsen | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Scott Hend | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Tom Lehman | -2 | 70 |
| T33 | Bo Van Pelt | -2 | 70 |
| T42 | Billy Andrade | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Jeff Maggert | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Tommy Gainey | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Mark Calcavecchia | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Joe Durant | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | David Drysdale | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Woody Austin | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Adilson da Silva | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Darren Clarke | -1 | 71 |
| T42 | Miguel Angel Jiménez | -1 | 71 |
| T52 | Richard Green | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Johan Edfors | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Brian Gay | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Michael Wright | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Rod Pampling | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Mark Wilson | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Matt Gogel | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Peter Baker | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Steve Flesch | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Gene Sauers | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Chris DiMarco | Par | 72 |
| T52 | James Kingston | Par | 72 |
| T52 | Andrew Marshall | Par | 72 |
| T65 | Emanuele Canonica | +1 | 73 |
| T65 | Michael Campbell | +1 | 73 |
| T65 | Colin Montgomerie | +1 | 73 |
| T65 | Ben Crane | +1 | 73 |
| T65 | Tim Petrovic | +1 | 73 |
| T70 | Greg Chalmers | +3 | 75 |
| T70 | Tom Pernice Jr. | +3 | 75 |
| T70 | John Rollins | +3 | 75 |
| T70 | Brett Quigley | +3 | 75 |
| T74 | Kirk Triplett | +4 | 76 |
| T74 | David Frost | +4 | 76 |
| T76 | K.J. Choi | +6 | 78 |
| T76 | Thomas Levet | +6 | 78 |
| 78 | Fred Funk | +9 | 81 |
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.