Golf Today attended the media launch at The Els Club Vilamoura ahead of the Portugal Invitational, where the first PGA TOUR Champions event will be staged in Portugal.
Taking place from 31 July to 2 August, the 54-hole tournament marks the beginning of a five-year agreement that will see the Portugal Invitational remain at The Els Club Vilamoura through 2030, bringing some of the biggest names in senior golf to the Algarve.
Tournament Director Todd Rhinehart confirmed a 78-player field competing for a $3 million purse, with 63 PGA TOUR Champions members joined by 15 players from the Legends Tour in a no-cut format.
The field already includes seven World Golf Hall of Famers, nine former Ryder Cup captains and players representing 18 countries, with a star-studded lineup featuring Bernhard Langer, Pádraig Harrington, José María Olazábal, David Duval, Retief Goosen, Ángel Cabrera and Thomas Bjørn.
“It’s really shaping up to be an incredible field,” Rhinehart said.
“It’s a who’s who from the PGA TOUR Champions. We’ve had a slew of Ryder Cup heroes, major winners and World Golf Hall of Famers commit to the event already. Yesterday we announced that Zach Johnson will be here as well.”
Tournament host Ernie Els will also tee it up on the course that now bears his name, having overseen the transformation of the former Victoria Course into The Els Club Vilamoura.
Speaking in a video message shown during the media presentation, Els said: “Welcome to The Els Club Vilamoura, and I hope you enjoyed your round today as you experience this challenging course, which will test my fellow professionals next month. I’m very excited to have golf fans, media and sponsors at The Els Club Vilamoura for the inaugural Portugal Invitational. I look forward to seeing you at the end of July right here in Portugal.”
A first look at Ernie Els’ latest creation
Having played The Els Club prior to the media presentation, it’s easy to understand why organisers believe it will provide a fitting stage for the inaugural Portugal Invitational. To put it plainly, it’s magnificent.
I visited the site 18 months earlier while the course was still under construction and was given a tour of the grounds, including several holes that were still being grown in.
Even then, looking at the initial layout and hearing about Ernie Els’ vision for the redesign, it was obvious the finished product had the potential to be something special. So when the opportunity came to play it, I couldn’t wait to see how the finished course compared to the vision I’d been shown a year and a half earlier.
Even the practice facilities ooze class, the type of set-up where you could happily spend four hours moving between the driving range, putting green and short-game area without realising where the time had gone.
Standing on the first tee, there’s a real sense that this isn’t simply a renovated golf course. It feels like an entirely new venue. The presentation is immaculate, with lush fairways framed by dark Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass rough, refined lakes and striking white bunkering, while the conditioning throughout wouldn’t look out of place at a DP World or PGA Tour event.
The course itself measures 7,335 yards from the back tees and makes excellent use of its hazards. The Big Easy’s meticulous eye for detail and thoughtful design philosophy are evident on every hole. From the tee shot to the approach (and, on the par fives, often the third shot), right through to the greens and their surrounds, the opportunity for glory and misery sit very close together. Coupled with the exposed nature of the course, where the wind can quickly become a significant factor, it requires a certain standard of golf to get anywhere near mastering the layout.
The front nine isn’t too dissimilar to the original Victoria Course, and that’s no criticism. Victoria hosted the Portugal Masters for many years and was a favourite among players on the European Tour. It features three par fives in the opening five holes, including the 571-yard 3rd and 584-yard 5th, as well as the brutish 478-yard 7th, a dog-leg par four requiring a tee shot over water before turning sharply left towards a well-protected green (where I managed to make one of the best birdies I’ll produce all year).
However, the course really comes into its own on the back nine, and this is where the tournament will be won or lost.
The 10th plays alongside a lake that hugs the entire right-hand side up to the green, while thick vegetation lines the left. The two are separated by a narrow ribbon of fairway that will only require a stiff breeze to make even the most experienced professionals think twice. Then, for the approach, the slim green sits between two bodies of water that punish anything but the right length and right direction.
But it’s Ernie Els’ signature 11th that stands above the rest. Quite simply, it’s one of the most impressive golf holes I’ve ever played.
Measuring a whopping 597 yards from the back tees, it’s almost like a full-length version of crazy golf. In the best possible way, it reminded me of some of the insane over-the-top course design featured in Happy Gilmore 2, not because it’s ridiculously silly, but because of the sheer brilliance of the hole’s layout.
Water runs the entire length of the hole down the left-hand side, though it feels more like a series of connected water features than a single lake. Beginning beside the tee, it gently meanders towards the green through a succession of streams and lakes that create a spectacular visual backdrop. To the right is dead. Meaning your only play is the fairway (which, as we all know, is easier said than done).
Roughly 120 yards short of the green, the water leaves the final lake and snakes across the fairway. Unless you’ve absolutely launched your tee shot, and fancy doing it again with a driver from the fairway, you’ll be laying up. But with the fairway sloping gently from right to left and the narrowest crossing point nearest the left-hand side, you’re faced with a decision: play an inch-perfect lay-up or leave yourself a much longer approach.
Then, once you’ve positioned yourself for your third shot, it’s time to deal with the water again. As the stream cutting across the fairway feeds another greenside lake.
Finally, on the dancefloor, you’re faced with an undulating green running at more than 11 on the Stimpmeter, either tempted to attack what would be a spectacular birdie chance or simply hoping to coax your eighth shot somewhere close with your tail firmly between your legs.
Holes 12 through 14 keep the pressure on, including a picture-perfect par three played across yet another expanse of water that demands a full carry from tee to green.
The closing stretch, however, is relentless.
If you’re relying on a flurry of birdies over the final four holes, you’ll need to channel your inner Tiger Woods circa 2000.
The par-five 15th features a vast waste-area bunker stretching roughly 100 yards in length, while the incredibly narrow par-four 16th and 190-yard par-three 17th both play alongside a substantial body of water that clings tightly to the fairways and greens. The round concludes with an uphill, dog-leg left par four that demands two more committed swings.
It’s a finish that requires every ounce of concentration you have, coupled with exemplary course management, if you’re to avoid throwing away an otherwise excellent score.
With tournament conditions set to make the challenge even sterner, including an additional five centimetres of rough growth, and a field packed with major champions and Ryder Cup stalwarts, The Els Club looks more than ready to deliver as a PGA TOUR Champions venue.
More than a golf tournament
While the golf will understandably take centre stage, organisers were equally keen to highlight the event’s impact beyond tournament week.
As part of the Portugal Invitational’s partnership with the Els for Autism Foundation, the foundation’s programme director will travel to Portugal to deliver counselling sessions for local families, while two PGA professionals from The Els Club Vilamoura will receive specialist training to continue delivering autism golf clinics after the tournament has finished.
Els will also take part in an autism golf clinic during tournament week alongside local professionals and another PGA TOUR Champions player, with money raised through the initiative remaining within the local community.
“We wanted to create a legacy with this event,”
Rhinehart explained. “Almost all PGA TOUR events benefit charities. Ernie has his Els for Autism Foundation. This is something that we wanted to do to leave the money in the local community here in Portugal.”
Away from the golf itself, spectators will find a fan village built around the 18th green and driving range, featuring hospitality venues, food trucks, exhibition space, interactive experiences, a beer garden and giant video screens.
The tournament will also be broadcast live to more than 170 countries and territories between 2pm and 5pm each day, while the winner will lift a trophy designed and handcrafted in crystal by renowned Portuguese heritage company Vista Alegre.
Why Vilamoura?
Hosting the inaugural Portugal Invitational is another significant milestone for a destination that has spent decades establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading golf resorts.
According to Joana Serra, Commercial & Marketing Director of Sports & Leisure, representing Portugal’s golf management sector, golf contributes almost €5 billion annually to the Portuguese economy through direct and indirect business, while helping support year-round employment beyond the country’s traditional summer tourism season.
“Most importantly, it falls outside the high season of the sun and beach crowds,” she said.
“This makes it possible to have all-year-round jobs in the Algarve and across Portugal. This really combats the off-season and serves as a full-year driver for the economy.”
That long-term vision is shared by Arrow Global Group, whose investment continues to reshape Vilamoura into an integrated destination centred around golf, hospitality, leisure and residential living.
The company owns more than 10 golf courses across Portugal, including five in Vilamoura, and continues to invest heavily throughout the country.
“Our strategy focuses essentially on creating an integrated and sustainable destination that can position Portugal, and especially the Algarve, as one of Europe’s leading markets for lifestyle, residential tourism, golf and hospitality,” said Samantha Mendes, Head of Client Relations for Details, part of Arrow Global Group.
The scale of that ambition is evident across Vilamoura itself.
Spanning around 1,700 hectares (roughly eight times the size of Monaco), the resort combines five championship golf courses with more than two kilometres of award-winning beaches, a 200-hectare environmental park, 30 hectares of vineyards and one of Europe’s largest marinas, recently expanded with 68 specialist berths capable of accommodating superyachts.
For a destination that has long been recognised as one of Europe’s leading golf hotspots, welcoming the PGA TOUR Champions feels like the natural next step.
With a world-class field, global television exposure and a commitment to leaving a lasting legacy within the local community, the Portugal Invitational has all the ingredients to become one of the standout events on the senior golfing calendar.
Related: Els Club Vilamoura named Most Sustainable Golf Course in Southern Europe
Jack Lumb
Jack is the Editor of Golf Today and a member of both the Association of Golf Writers (AGW) and the Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA). He brings a wealth of experience from his decade-long journey as a competitive amateur golfer, including five years competing at the county level. His deep knowledge of the game seamlessly translates into his work in golf journalism, where he covers everything from tour events to in-depth course reviews and the latest updates in golfing news.