Portugal Tour 2021/2022 – Tomás Bessa champion on his return after the pandemic
The Portugal Tour (PT Tour) returned this week after a forced stop of more than a month, due to the pandemic and started the way it had ended, that is, with a triumph of the Portuguese Tomás Bessa.
The 2020 national had won in 2021, the Lorenzo Open, in 2021, with Lorenzo Open, in 10 thousand euros in stage, December, and today Saturday) triumphed again in the NAU Morgado Open, last stage of 10 thousand euros in equally 1 step, December again with a big result, in this case -8.
Since at the beginning of December Tomás Bessa had already been the best in the PGA Portugal Players Championship, an event on the Portuguese circuit, this means that he is going through the best phase of his career, with three consecutive titles.
“It’s my third victory in a row, I’m very happy, it’s also the second on this circuit, but I recently had COVID19, fortunately asymptomatic”, said the player from Paredes, who lives in the Algarve.
With the laps of 73, 69 and 66, Tomás Bessa surpassed the South Korean Jung-Min Hong by 3 strokes (71+71+69), making a course in: «I knew that growing up today a good lap had chances. The secret was in not knowing the result of the others and focusing on making good shots and it ended up very well, with a chip-in for a birdie on the 18th hole. I just did a great round of 7 under par».
With these two burst titles, Tomás Bessa equals the Englishman Jordan Wrisdale, who won the first two tournaments of the season, in Vilamoura, still in 2021 and are the two great candidates for the No.
The PT Tour is the only international circuit for professional and amateur golfers of high competition to be held in Portugal and to organize six more tournaments until the end of the 2021/2022 season.
All tournaments during the winter, helping to combat the seasonality of tourism during the winter season.
Each of the first tournaments, from March 1st to four thousand euros in March draws, presents the best, while the last, which will have a logic of “six tournaments”, will bring together in the Optilink Championship, from 16 to 16 best Victoria Golf Course , in Vilamoura.
This summit will distribute 20 thousand euros, a “cash prize” equal to the National Championship Absolute Hyundai of the Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG).
Before Christmas, they were forced by the promoters to announce that the four tournaments planned for January had taken place, given the same COVID19 infection numbers and the same COVID19 infection numbers themselves, across Europe. and as special automata.
With the lightening of air transport regulations, the PT Tour was possible.
The PT Tour counts towards the ranking of the national team of professionals which, in turn, assigns invitations to some Challenge Tour tournaments.
The big news is that, in 2022, all tournaments will count towards the amateur world ranking.
«The circuit has the approval of the FPG and we are still developing contacts in order to obtain some invitations for the Challenge Tour», said the promoter, José Correia.
José Correia, member of the FPG Board, underlined that there is a novelty in 2022: «In addition to the JJW International Pro-Am, from March 4th to 6th, in Pinheiros Altos and San Lorenzo, we will also organize the Optilink Pro-Am, on the 12th of March».
«The partnership with Optilink is a novelty, it lasts for three years, starts with a prize of 20 thousand euros for the Optilink Tour Championship in 2022, but with a gradual increase in the following years», he specified.
«Optilink is a technological company, which operates in the telecommunications sector, in the development and production of fiber optic cabling, and this opportunity to hold a corporate event is in line with an internationalization strategy, in addition to our consolidation of our activities in national territory», said CEO António Gonçalves.
For Portuguese players, the PT is a golden opportunity to return to an international level before Europa on some of the main circuits such as the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), the Challenge Tour, the Alps Tour and the Pro Golf Tour Tour. .
«It’s a great circuit, especially for the Portuguese, it’s an opportunity to play in the winter when there are no tournaments anywhere else, and being able to do it at home is perfect. It’s also good for foreign professionals, who have good European weather and come to prepare for the following season”, said Tomás Melo Gouveia, who determined the rise to the Challenge Tour, the second division, in 2021.
But the PT Tour is not just vital for the professional players who accept the main circuits. For amateurs it is also, increasingly, a launching pad.
“According to the rules of amateur status, it is now possible to award non-professionals. In Portugal the maximum limit is 750 euros. In this context, the PT Tour will award the first three amateurs of each tournament with a maximum of 600 euros. The best amateur will receive 300 euros, the second 200 and the third 100 euros. I think that the PT Tour is the first and only one in Portugal to monetarily reward amateurs in competition, a fact that seems relevant to me», said the promoter.
«The PT Tour contracted a partnership and sponsorship with the SGA (Season Golf Academy), where David Silva is the Head of the fundraising and development program that aims to achieve a place in the various professional circuits. An exclusive Order of Merit created for amateurs and the #1 in this ranking will receive a wild card to the Optilink Tour Championship. This initiative as an extra motivation and an important contribution to amateurs», concluded Ve José Correia.