Michael Hoey has withdrawn from the Estoril Open de Portugal due to illness with four other Irish players still down to compete, including Damien McGrane, Darren Clarke, Simon Thornton and Gary Murphy, who will all compete at the Penha Longa Golf Club later this week.
Clarke and Murphy will be arriving after 36 holes at Sunningdale on Monday as part of the qualifying for the 150th Open Championship in St. Andrews. Whereas the Dungannon made the cut in Wales and has some momentum building, the Kilkenny man did not stay the weekend in Wales and so Murphy will be trying to break that cycle of missed cuts which has dogged his season so far.
Damien McGrane arrives in form with four top 20 finishes in his last seven outings - including the Wales Open.
Simon Thornton of Team Ireland made the cut in Wales after some repair work to his swing in the days leading up to the tournament so will be hoping to stay the course in Estoril this week
Michael Hoey won the title last year in a play off and in his absence other past champions will take the field including England’s Van Phillips (1999), Paul Broadhurst (2005 and 2006) and Frenchman Grégory Bourdy, who captured the title in Estoril in 2008.
Portuguese hopes will be carried by José-Filipe Lima, who regained his full playing privileges last year through the Challenge Tour Rankings.
Other notable names in the field include Thai ace Thongchai Jaidee, currently Number 47 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and Welshman Rhys Davies, who set the new record at the Twenty Ten Course at the Celtic Manor Wales Open last Sunday week when he came second to a sublime and on form Graeme McDowell.
The Danish pair of Thomas Björn and Søren Kjeldsen are also entered for the €1million event.
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño of Spain was last year’s runner up and returns to the event he lost to Hoey on the third extra play off hole – which also ended his 100 per cent play-off record.
Situated amongst the stunning landscape of the Sintra Hills and overlooking the splendid Estoril Coast, with the Atlantic Ocean in the distance, Penha Longa Hotel Spa & Golf Resort hosted the Open de Portugal in 1994 and 1995, when Welshman Philip Price and Scotland’s Adam Hunter took the title respectively.
