Excitement is building at Royal Óbidos Scenic Resort as final course and resort preparations begin ahead of this month’s Open de Portugal on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Held at the five-star resort on Portugal’s Silver Coast from September 11-14, the tournament will see golf’s stars of tomorrow compete across four rounds on the venue’s par-72 championship course.
This year marks the sixth successive year that Royal Óbidos has hosted the tournament, firstly as a dual-sanctioned event alongside the DP World Tour in 2020, and subsequently as an event solely on Europe’s development tour.
Recent DP World Tour winner Marco Penge claimed victory in 2023, while last year saw 29-year-old American Matt Oshrine take the title and the €43,000 first prize.
The last golf course designed by the late Seve Ballesteros, Royal Óbidos, which is less than an hour north of Lisbon, opened for play in 2012 and has established itself as one of Portugal’s best layouts. A mixture of parkland and links-style holes, the course is integrated subtly into the natural surroundings, taking advantage of the natural terrain while enjoying stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Lagoa de Óbidos.
Pedro Castelo Branco, director of golf at Royal Óbidos, said: “Over the past five years, the Open de Portugal has been a real highlight of our golf calendar. It is always a privilege to watch some of the world’s best play our course, and this year is certainly no different. Preparations are well and truly underway as we look forward to welcoming back European golf’s stars of tomorrow to Royal Óbidos in September.”
The resort’s dedicated greenkeeping team have been hard at work over the last few months to ensure the course is not only in an exceptional condition but also presents a fair test for those playing.
Emanuel Casimiro, golf course superintendent at Royal Óbidos, said: “The whole team are working exceptionally hard to ensure our golf course is presented in an immaculate condition ahead of the Open de Portugal. Preparations will of course continue right through till the eve of the tournament, but we are all incredibly excited to showcase our fantastic course to both returning and new players.”