El PGA TOUR Champions opened a new chapter in its history this Friday with the staging of its first competitive round in Europe. The venue was The Els Club Vilamoura, in the Portuguese Algarve, and the first leader was Zach Johnson, who carded an extraordinary 64, eight under par.
The two-time major champion and American captain of the 2023 Ryder Cup arrived in Portugal as one of the in-form players on the circuit. He already has three victories this season and quickly showed he wants to add a fourth to his collection.
Johnson began his round with four birdies in the first five holes and took advantage of every par 5 on the course designed by Ernie Els. His performance culminated at the 18th, where he left a superb second shot very near the flag and holed the birdie putt to move into sole possession of the lead.
His 64 allows him to head into the second round with a one-shot lead over Rory Sabbatini, who posted a bogey-free 65, and two clear of a group of four made up of Pádraig Harrington, Alex Cejka, Charlie Wi y Mikael Lundberg.
“Ernie has done a great job. I think the beauty of this course is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional, a zero-handicap amateur or a beginner. You can play it the same. That’s very hard to achieve and it’s a really good design,” Johnson said.
The American particularly praised the variety of shots the Vilamoura layout demands.
“It has everything: shots left and right, short shots, uphill and downhill. And it has character. You have to congratulate Ernie and his team because they’ve done an outstanding job.”
Donaldson plays the first historic shot
The day also produced a moment for the history books. Billy Andrade, Richard Green y Tag Ridings were tasked with opening the tournament from the tee of the 1st hole, but a few minutes earlier Jamie Donaldson had teed off from the 10th.
The Welshman, scorer of the point that secured Europe’s victory in the 2014 Ryder Cup, thus became the first player to hit a competitive shot in a PGA TOUR Champions tournament held in Europe.
The day also marked another significant debut for The Els Club Vilamoura. The course hosted its first professional competition barely a year after opening. The excellent conditions, together with the absence of wind for much of the day, allowed players to attack and produced very low scores.
Sabbatini was one of the first to take advantage. The Slovak player, an Olympic silver medallist, made no bogeys and recorded five birdies over his last nine holes to initially set the clubhouse benchmark at seven under par.
Johnson ultimately wrested the lead away, but Sabbatini is well placed to contend for the first title in the history of the Portugal Invitational.
Harrington gets right into the mix
Pádraig Harrington also confirmed from the first day that he will be one to watch. The Irishman posted a 66, six under par, and shares third spot with Cejka, Wi and Lundberg.
The week’s sentimental host, Ernie Els, provided plenty of reasons for the large crowd that followed the action to enjoy. The South African played at a high level for much of the course that bears his name, although a double bogey at the 18th halted his progress. Despite that finish, he ended on 68, four under par, and retains every chance of moving up the leaderboard on Saturday.
Also starting under par was Bernhard Langer. The German, who returned to Portugal exactly 50 years after playing here the first tournament of his rookie season with playing rights on the European Tour, signed a solid 69, three under par.
Jiménez starts under par
Miguel Ángel Jiménez closed the first round with a 71, one under par. The man from Málaga will need to move up the leaderboard on Saturday, but he remains in the tournament on a course where low scores demand a steady run of birdies.
The PGA TOUR Champions’ debut in Europe drew a notable response from the public. Numerous fans followed the players around the course, while the Fan Zone kept a lively atmosphere throughout the day.
All three rounds of the tournament will be broadcast in the United States via GOLF Channel, while the tour’s international coverage will reach more than 170 countries and territories. The first champion of the Portugal Invitational will be crowned this Sunday 2 August.
