TOM LEWIS FEELS AT HOME FOR MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
NEWS RELEASE FROM EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
The
spectacular venue for the Madeira Islands Open is
approximately 600 miles from the south coast of mainland Portugal, where
Tom Lewis claimed a famous win in 2011, but a sense of familiarity has
filled the Englishman
with confidence this week.
Lewis
launched himself into the limelight when, aged 20, he landed a
fairytale victory at the Portugal Masters, just three months after
carding the lowest ever round by an amateur at The 2011 Open
Championship - a five under par first round
65 which handed him a share of the overnight lead.
The
22 year old, pictured, makes his Madeira Islands Open debut this
week at Clube de Golf do Santo da Serra and he is enjoying being back on
Portuguese soil.
“It’s
my first time here and it’s a really nice place,” said the 2011 Walker
Cup team winner. “My family are out and it’s a lovely place to come so I'm
looking forward to it and hopefully the weather will hold out for the
week.
“A
lot of players have had success in certain areas and I love Europe,
personally. There are a lot of different culture changes in certain
tournaments on The European Tour but in Europe the atmosphere is great,
especially in places like
Portugal – you get really nice people and lovely food and I feel
comfortable with everything.”
Lewis
arrives in Madeira on the back of three consecutive missed cuts but he
believes he is at a crucial juncture in his career, where hard work and
determination are imperative if he is to repeat the success of the 2011
Portugal Masters.
“I’m
not unhappy with where I am at the moment,” he said. “It has been a
steep learning curve for me since 2011. Most people usually come up to
The European Tour in stages and then when they’re ready, they make the
step up.
“For
me, I was just lucky that I played well in that one week and got that
first win so early. I played well through all four rounds and I haven’t
done that quite as well since.
“The
hard work is now and I need to get my head down and if I work harder
than everyone else then the results will come and if I don’t I won’t be
able to compete.”
Ricardo
Santos, meanwhile, will defend the title he won last year, a victory
which helped earn him the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award. The
Vilamoura native became the first Portuguese to win on home soil and is
sure to receive
a hero’s reception on his return this year.
Tano
Goya (2009), Alastair Forsyth (2008), Daniel Vancsik (2007), Robert-Jan
Derksen (2005), Bradley Dredge (2003), Niclas Fasth (2000), Jarmo
Sandelin (1996) and Santiago Luna (1995) are the other former champions
who will be looking to
add to their trophy haul at Clube de Golf do Santo da Serra.
Former
Ryder Cup players in the field include Frenchman Thomas Levet,
Denmark’s Søren Hansen and Oliver Wilson of England, while multiple
European Tour winners Nick Dougherty, Robert Rock and Grégory Bourdy
will also feature.
EUROPEAN TOUR COMMUNICATIONS
Labels: EUROPEAN TOUR
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