Thomas Pieters of Belgium won the Portugal Masters by two strokes on Sunday after a final-round three-under-par 68. It was his seventh European Tour victory.
The 29-year-old was tied for first place with France’s Matthieu Pavon heading into the final round at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura, but started with a bogey on the first hole before recovering with an eagle on the fifth.
He made birdies before and after the turn, then made another bogey, but gained a stroke on the penultimate hole to end the tournament at 19-under.
Pavon scored three birdies on the front nine, but a triple bogey on the 12th caused him to settle for a 70 and a tie for second place with Danes Lucas Bjerregaard and Nicolai Hojgaard at 17-under total.
“It feels wonderful,” Pieters stated, referring to his win in the Czech Masters in 2019. “It seemed like a long time between triumphs, but (caddie) Adam Marrow and I put in so much effort, and it felt right.
“I was having some trouble with my swing, and I wasn’t trusting it as much as I had been the first three days. I was preoccupied with that rather than the scores. I took a look at some of the boards and noticed that we were possibly leading by one.
“After it ping-ponged back and forth, I was ecstatic to come out with a two-shot lead.”
Pieters’ victory vaulted him back into the top 100 in the world and guaranteed him a spot in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
