European Tour

Portugal Masters 2018

September 20-23

Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal

€2,000,000

Live leaderboard

September 20-23

Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal

€2,000,000

Live leaderboard

Round 4

Double delight for Lewis in Portugal

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

September 23, 2018

Tom Lewis produced the biggest 54-hole comeback of the season to win the Portugal Masters for the second time at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

- Getty Images

“To be back here in Portugal and play the way I played and to have the crowds we had, I feel great right now. I think this one means more, it means a lot to come and win this again. The next win was always going to mean more because of how much I work for it."

“Hopefully I can do better than I did last time and continue to do what I've been doing with the team that I've got and the support and not ease off the gas and keep pushing forwards. That's what I did this week after a few good weeks recently."

“If you're having a good time it helps. It's a tough life, it's not as easy as it maybe looks with a lot of travelling and a lot of pressure that you put on yourself. That's something that I've struggled with over the years and now I'm just enjoying it a little bit more than I used to.”

The Englishman was one over par after his opening round of 72 on Thursday and sat nine shots behind first round leader Lucas Herbert, but rounds of 63 and 61 meant he was just two behind the Australian heading into the final round in Vilamoura.

It kind of feels like all of the air has come out of me," said Herbert. "It was looking like it could have been a two-shot swing on 17 and then Tom goes and holes that putt and I hit a horrible tee shot down the 18th."

“It's frustrating, but my goal at the start of the week was to get top ten, get my card for next year and try to get myself into Turkey and I think I've probably done that. I can't be too critical of myself and I have to try to take the positives at the moment even though it's not ideal not winning after carrying a lead into the last round. If I keep putting myself here enough times, surely one of them has to work out?"

On Sunday it all came down to a three-way battle between Lewis, Herbert and England's Eddie Pepperell, with Lewis ultimately signing for a 66 to get to 22 under par and finish three shots clear of his two rivals.

Lewis won this event in 2011 in just his third start as a professional and arrived this week in fine form, having won the Bridgestone Challenge on the Challenge Tour two weeks ago.

The last two holes proved pivotal as Lewis found the water off the tee on the 17 th and had to hole a stunning 35-foot putt to save par, as a Pepperell bogey on the last made it a two-horse race.

Herbert then found water off the final tee on the way to a closing double-bogey to finish tied second alongside Pepperell at 19 under par and three shots behind Lewis.

“If you shoot that round on a Thursday or Friday you would be very frustrated," said Pepperell. "On a Sunday in the position I'm in, it's not a terrible round of golf. I just wasn't quite good enough. The two ahead of me are good players, plying good golf, they hit it a long way. Thrilled to see Tom doing what he's doing.”

“I'm going to The Ryder Cup on Saturday, which I'm looking forward to. I've never been to a Ryder Cup before and I'm desperate to see this one especially, because my expectations for it, as everyone, are high. Then I'm on to Dunhill, so great end of the season coming up.”

South Korea's Soomin Lee finished with a 64 to get to 17 under par alongside Swede Marcus Kinhult, one clear of 2012 Portugal Masters champion Shane Lowry of Ireland.

Sergio Garcia warmed up for The Ryder Cup with a closing 65 to finish at 15 under par with local favourite Ricardo Gouveia, Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin, Finn Kim Koivu and England's Oliver Fisher - who will never forget his week after carding the European Tour's first 59 on Friday.