GOLF PORTUGAL MASTERS:ROSS FISHER is aiming to take advantage of the absence of defending champion Lee Westwood from the Portugal Masters, which starts this morning.
Westwood won last year’s event in Vilamoura by two shots from Ryder Cup team-mates Francesco Molinari and Pádraig Harrington, ending a run of more than two years without a title.
Harrington is not in Vilamoura as he is in Malaysia this week for the Johor Open. However, seven Irishmen will take up the challenge at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Club today.
And Westwood will not be competing in this year’s event either, because he is resting following a recurrence of a calf injury.
So Fisher, another member of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup side, will head for the south of Europe looking forward to the warm conditions, following two weeks of tough conditions in Wales and Scotland.
“Let’s hope it’s sunny there,” said Fisher, who is 13th in the current Race to Dubai. “I could do with some good weather. It has been very nice in the past. I’ve had enough rain in the last week and a half to last me a lifetime so a bit of sunshine will be very nice.
“I really enjoyed playing at Oceanico Victoria last year. It’s a lovely course – pretty long, which suits my game. I’ve got a good record there and went close a couple of years ago. It’s a place where I usually seem to do well so hopefully that’s the case again.”
The 29-year-old has acclimatised well following the Ryder Cup success at Celtic Manor.“I haven’t really found it difficult to be honest. I’ve just tried to continue my form. When you are playing well you don’t feel tired.
“The Ryder Cup was a great week and I feel like my game is in good shape and it’s continued this week. My attention has switched back to The Race to Dubai now, definitely. I finished fourth last year and it would be disappointing not to finish better than that this season.
“I’ve obviously got a bit of work to do in order to achieve that but I’ve moved up a bit this week and I’ve got some big tournaments coming up so it’s not over yet.”
Fisher’s Ryder Cup team-mates Miguel Angel Jimenez and brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari are also in the field in Portugal, as are Europe’s vicecaptains Paul McGinley and Thomas Bjorn.
It will be Jimenez’s first competitive action after his fine performance in south Wales, where he won a crucial point in the final day singles by beating Bubba Watson.
The Spaniard will be looking to climb further up The Race to Dubai – he is currently eighth – with a good performance in Vilamoura. Similarly, Edoardo Molinari, the highest-ranked player in the field in The Race to Dubai, will be looking to make up ground on the six players above him when the event starts today.
Westwood’s calf injury will not only cause the 37-year-old to miss this week’s Portugal Masters but it will lay the world number two low for the rest of the month.
The huge consolation for Westwood, however, is that he could end Tiger Woods’ 270-week run at the top of the world rankings on October 31st without hitting a ball in anger.
Englishman Ian Barker is perhaps best placed to explain how players rise or fall in the rankings. The 47-year-old calculates rankings points won and lost and admits that while the system is complicated there is method in the madness.
“Tiger has had more to lose over the last two years than anyone else. And then he took his break, of course,” added Barker.
“If Lee doesn’t play for the rest of this month his average points will be higher than Tiger’s on October 31st. Woods will lose more points than him over the next three weeks.”
However, that relatively ‘straightforward’ scenario is under threat thanks to the brilliant recent form of Germany’s Martin Kaymer.
“Martin has won more world ranking points than anyone this year. If he finishes in the top two at Valderrama (Andalucia Masters) on October 31st, and I know he’s entered while Lee hasn’t, his points average will be better than Lee’s and he will be number one.”
The Lowdown
Venue: Oceanico Victoria Golf Club, Vilamoura, Portugal
Course: Flat, exposed course.
Prize money: €3 million (winner receives €500,000).
Defending champion:Lee Westwood.
Field:126.
Irish players (first round tee-times in brackets):Darren Clarke (8.30am); Gareth Maybin (12.20pm); Shane Lowry (12.40pm); Damien McGrane (1.30pm); Peter Lawrie, Michael Hoey (both 12.30pm); Paul McGinley (1.30pm).
On TV:Sky Sports 3 from 11.30am today.
Weather: Forecast is for sun, with light winds.
