Andy Sullivan hopes to repeat his Portugal Masters success

19 October 2016 06:38

Andy Sullivan feels the Victoria Clube de Golfe in Vilamoura could offer up another chance of some low scoring as he prepares to defend his Portugal Masters title.

The 29-year-old from Nuneaton secured victory by a tournament-record nine shots last year for 23-under-par and what was a third European Tour title of 2015 as he beat Chris Wood by nine strokes.

Although some 17 players have shot 60 on the European Tour, including Darren Clarke twice, no-one has been able to post 59.

With 32 rounds of 64 or less in Vilamoura over the past three years, the opportunity to create history is certainly there.

However, Sullivan knows things can go wrong and he could just as easily be on the end of a big score.

"It's going to be mega tough to go out there and win, let alone win by nine, so my goal is just to go out there and continue playing the way I am and hopefully the putter gets warm," Sullivan said on www.europeantour.com.

"It's been cold the last couple of weeks. It would be nice to get the putter going. Things like that start happening, I feel like I can find the form that got me to the victory last year.

"I enjoy going at the pins and taking a few risks out there. I enjoy the course generally. It's always a course I've found suits my game.

"(You've) got to manoeuvre it off the tee and be aggressive into the greens. Hopefully I can find more of the same that we did last year for them. It's always nice to get back to places where you've hit good shots and you remember standing on the fairways and remember hitting good shots.

"I think if you get to 20-under, I think that's going to be somewhere there or thereabouts."

Sullivan has failed to register a top-10 finish since July's Scottish Open and tied for 41st at the British Masters on his return to action after the disappointment of Europe's Ryder Cup defeat.

Having also won at the South African Open and Joburg Open earlier in 2015, Sullivan is hoping a return to the Algarve can kick-start his progress, where he is expected to be cheered on by a vocal travelling support of 'Sully's Army'.

"I think it was always going to be a tough year for me in the sense of going into a season and winning three times," he said.

"Going into this season, obviously at the start of the year, I think the expectations were quite high and finishing second in Dubai so early on in the season I felt like I had the appetite to go out there and win again.

"Then I just lost my form a little bit and then through Ireland and French and Scottish and The Open I felt like I found my form again and then it dipped off again and now I feel like I've found it again.

"It's been a bit of an up-and-down year. Results have not been quite as good as I wanted and I'm still up there on the Order of Merit. It is a little bit disappointing but if it's going to be a disappointing year for me for the rest of my career, I think I'll take it."

Sullivan will be joined by in-form Swede Alex Noren, winner of the British Masters by two strokes at The Grove in Watford, and Thomas Pieters, who impressed on his Ryder Cup debut, for the first two rounds, while elsewhere in the field Jose Maria Olazabal will continue his comeback from injury.

The Portugal Masters marks the last chance for players to keep their European Tour cards for next season, by finishing in the top 111.

Daniel Im, Eddie Pepperell and Craig Lee - ranked 109th, 110th and 111th in the Race to Dubai - are in an afternoon three-balls, while Jason Scrivener (114th) and Oli Fisher (115th) have also been grouped together.

Source: PA