Jean Hugo has won the inaugural Portugal Legends Championship by six shots after a scintillating bogey-free final-round 62 at Pinheirinho on the Alentejo coast. It was the South African’s second win in his last three events, following victory at the Reignwood Legends Championship in Beijing in October.
With Hugo at -20, England’s Greg Owen finished second on -14 after a closing 65, with Johan Edfors a further shot back. Andrew Marshall finished fourth at -12, one ahead of a group of players at -11 that included Cameron Clark, Robert Coles, Keith Horne and the overnight leader, Paul Lawrie.
“I’m delighted to win again,” said Hugo after his course-record round of 10-under-par. “I was just trying to manage expectations, be patient and play my own game. I thought I did that quite well today, and at the end of the day that was good enough.
“I was hitting it well early on, and I had good chances on the first couple. I hit it close enough on three, so that was my first birdie. The pin on five was tucked, and I was really hitting it well. I had about three feet on five and about six feet on six. It was nice.
“When you come round the corner I had a bit of a lead, but going into the back nine there’s a lot of trouble out there, so it wasn’t enough. Then Johan started playing so well over the first four holes on that side, and that put a lot of pressure on me. So I’m proud of the way I handled myself.
“When we got here on Tuesday, it didn’t feel like a 62 course. You don’t think about that on the final day, you’re just trying to do your own work. I was just trying to get it over the water on the last, never mind making birdie, so the record is a bonus.
“The par threes are very good. They’ve got so many options on the greens. If you can make a par on the par threes every round, that’s very good. It was wide enough off the tee that I didn’t feel a lot of pressure, which I like, so you can use your length. All in all, I think it’s a nice, generous course, and I think people will love it.”
Hugo made his professional debut in 1999 at the Open Championship at Carnoustie. It was fitting, therefore, that one of his playing partners for the final round at Pinheirinho was the man who famously lifted the Claret Jug on that windswept day more than 25 years ago.
But while Lawrie’s challenge faltered as his putter ran cold, it was Hugo who surged into the lead with five consecutive front-nine birdies. A stunning eagle at the 11th then gave him further breathing room before a superb finish enabled him to reach double-digits under par for the round.
