By John Russell
It has often been said in golfing circles that tournaments really start at the last nine holes of the last day. This was certainly the case at the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura, with the lead changing hands numerous times, but it was the 6ft 3in tall Stoke-on-Trent resident, Englishman David Lynn, who finally came through to win at the Oceânico Victoria Course his second European Tour event, after his triumph a full nine years ago at the 2004 KLM Open in the Netherlands.
Lynn, who celebrates his 40th birthday on October 20, was tied with Francesco Molinari in 16th place at the start of the final round and six shots behind the surprise leader at that stage on 16 under par, Paul Waring, who has been playing on a medical extension this year, but achieved tied tenth places in the 2013 Irish Open and Johnnie Walker Championship.
The impressive following pack included Gallacher, Wiesberger, Doak, Larrazábal, Otto, Donaldson, the 2008 Portugal Masters winner Álvaro Quiros, and Jamieson.
However, David Lynn, who carded a brilliant score of 63 in the final round that included a vital run of three birdies in the last five holes, could only wait and watch while the main contenders attempted to match his 18 under par total of 266.
Waring played well but could only score 71 and the unsung South African Justin Walters was the eventual runner-up one stroke behind, after a final 66 that ended with an amazing 40-foot putt on the 18th green in front of a huge crowd. Tied in third on 268 were Stephen Gallacher, Bernt Wiesberger and Paul Waring.
Lynn’s recent run of form started at the 2012 US PGA Championship, where he finished in second place behind Rory McIlroy and earned him the biggest cheque of his career (the equivalent of €712,914), more than twice what he won here in the Algarve, namely €333,330. His success in the US has allowed him to play temporarily on their tour, enabling him to compete on both sides of the ‘pond’.
This win in the Algarve at his 393rd tournament on the European Tour has, however, made him ponder his schedules for the rest of this year as there are several potentially lucrative options open to him now that he has risen to 43th place in the Race to Dubai ranking.
By the smallest of margins, the Portugal Masters almost marked a historical event in the third round as Glaswegian Scott Jamieson was on course to score a 12-under-par round of 59. However, his pinpoint approach to the 18th green hit a down-slope, almost struck the flag and then rolled agonisingly into the fringe of the green.
His delicate chip appeared to be headed for the bottom of the cup but the ball touched the edge and ended at a tap-in distance beyond.
His memorable score became the 18th round of 60 strokes on the main European Tour, a new course record, and the second 60 scored this year following Peter Uihlein’s 12-under score at Kingsbarns at the recent Alfred Dunhill Championship.
A rare shot was played by 49-year-old Miguel Angel Jiménez who holed out with his 7-iron tee-shot on the 160-metre par-3 eighth in the final round. Unluckily, there was no hole-in-one car on offer for the genial Andalusian, but he was awarded 100 bottles of Portuguese red wine gifted by a tournament sponsor, Fita Preta Vinhos, for his private wine cellar so he can compare it with his favourite ‘rioja’ from his home region.
Jiménez finished in a tie for 57th but is a creditable 17th in the Race to Dubai with 2013 earnings of €944,918, considering he missed the early season due to a fractured leg caused by a skiing accident.
The 2012 winner Shane Lowry and all the Portuguese players in this year’s Portugal Masters did not fare so well and unfortunately missed the cut which fell at two under par. Lowry and the local hero and current Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, Ricardo Santos, who played together in the first two rounds, were both particularly disappointed to fail to qualify for the last two rounds, although Santos stayed in the top 60 in the Race to Dubai, dropping from 55th to 57th place.
