The European Senior Tour will return to Portugal after a three year absence in 2011 when Belas Golf Club in Lisbon hosts the Senior Open de Portugal from September 29 – October 1. With a prize fund of €300,000, the inaugural event takes the number of tournaments currently counting towards the 2011 Senior Tour Order of Merit to 22.
It will be the first time the Senior Tour has returned to Portugal since the Azores Senior Open in 2008, which was won by Australian Stewart Ginn, and will be the eighth Senior Tour event overall to be staged in the country.
Previously Portugal, which is one of the five countries bidding for The 2018 Ryder Cup, hosted the Daily Telegraph European Seniors Match Play Championship in 2001 and 2002, the Senior Tour Championship from 2002-2004 and the Senior Open of Portugal in 2005 and 2006. In addition, the Algarve has hosted the Senior Tour Qualifying School for the past ten years.
Belas Golf Club is owned by the Andre Jordan Group and previously hosted the European Challenge Tour Grand Final in 1998.
Promoter André Jordan said: “We are delighted to host another European Senior Tour event, this time on our Lisbon course. After several Portuguese Opens we organised in Quinta do Lago, the World Cup in 2004 in Vilamoura, and having brought the Portuguese Masters to Victoria Golf Club in 2006, we are looking forward to hosting this great tournament at our course at Belas Golf Club.”
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Portugal and to the wonderful capital city of Lisbon, which I’m sure all of our Senior Tour professionals will enjoy.
“Our thanks must go to the Andre Jordan Group for their on-going commitment to tournament golf, to the Portuguese Golf Federation for their support and to the members of Belas Golf Club for making their course available.”
Belas Golf Club www.belasclubedecampo.pt