Some of the best on the European tour will make the trip to Vilamoura, Portugal and the Victoria Clube de Golfe for the Portugal Masters this week. This event might not be the most popular on the European Tour schedule but it has certainly been an exciting tournament to watch over the years with plenty of dramatic finishes despite that there has never been a playoff. There could be similar drama this week with the spotlight once again on Alex Noren and a field that is loaded at the top. In terms of the best players on the Tour, we’re not going to see many
Event Details
Event: Portugal Masters
Category: European
Date: October 20-23
Location: Victoria Clube de Golfe, Vilamoura, Portugal
Noren delivered a memorable performance in the final round at the British Masters last week with a 69 to hold on for a two-stroke victory. Noren has been on fire despite being left off the European Ryder Cup team and it’s no surprise to see him listed as the sports betting favorite once again for this week’s event. When you dive into the numbers, Noren has now finished in the Top 11 in six of his last nine starts. That includes wins at the British Masters, the Omega European Masters and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. He’s the hottest golfer on the EPGA Tour is likely a bit motivated by not making the Ryder Cup team, so look out for him to perform well this week.
Past Five Winners
2015: Andy Sullivan -23
2014: Alexander Levy -18
2013: David Lynn -18
2012: Shane Lowry -14
2011: Tom Lewis -21
What To Know About The Course
Andy Sullivan dominated at this tournament a year ago when he ranked 11th in Driving Distance and ninth in Driving Accuracy but it isn’t as though this year’s winner will have to dominate in both of those categories the way that Sullivan did. Sullivan actually ranked fifth for Greens In Regulation and that stat might be the most important of all of them for this event. Scrambling will be another important angle to have locked down. Most experts expect the Portugal Masters to be a birdie fest so putting numbers will also be very important once again.
The Field
Sullivan couldn’t be stopped here a year ago but he is listed at just +1800 odds to repeat at this tournament with three other golfers listed ahead of him according to the sports betting odds. Noren is the sports betting favorite at +600 odds followed by Thomas Pieters at +700 and Tommy Fleetwood at +1400. Thongchai Jaidee, Nicolas Coisaerts and Peter Hanson are all expected to be in the mix as well but there is clearly a significant drop off following the big four for this week’s event.
A Good Match-up To Bet: Thomas Pieters over Andy Sullivan
For as dominant as Sullivan was here a year ago it will be extremely difficult for him to duplicate that performance this week. There is significant value betting against the defending Portugal Masters champion and we like Pieters to have the edge in the matchup. The veteran Belgian followed up his outstanding performance at the Ruder Cup with a rough effort in his last start but he should bounce back this week. We are banking on a strong bounce back performance at a decent value when matched up with Sullivan on a head-to-head sports betting ticket.
Top-Five Pick: Alex Noren
Noren has been absolutely on fire with three wins in his last eight starts and even if he can’t clinch another victory this week we are banking on him delivering a strong performance. Noren has played this event seven times and while he hasn’t exactly performed at a high level in this tournament he could be overdue for a strong performance here. Noren is the sports betting favorite to win this event outright for a reason and while we aren’t willing to put a large amount of money on him to get another victory we do think he is the strongest bet on the board when it comes to locking in a top-five pick.
Top 10 Odds To Win The Portugal Masters
Alex Noren +650
Thomas Pieters +705
Tommy Fleetwood +1250
Andy Sullivan +1650
Nicolas Colsaerts +2550
Peter Hanson +2850
David Horsey +3050
Thomas Aiken +3550
Florian Fritsch +3550
Anthony Wall +3550
