Portugal Masters: Thomas Pieters pockets fifth European Tour title with win at Dom Pedro
- Dave Tindall
- 7 November 2021
The Belgian held off Danish duo Lucas Bjerregaard and Nicolai Hojgaard along with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon to claim a two-shot victory in Vilamoura.
Thomas Pieters fired a closing 3-under-par 68 to claim a two-shot win in the Portugal Masters with 19-under 265 after a tense final round at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.
The Belgian started the day tied for top spot with Matthieu Pavon, who led by two with seven to play.
But Pavon racked up a triple-bogey eight on the par-5 12th hole to blow his chances.
The Frenchman eventually finished runner-up alongside Danish duo Lucas Bjerregaard and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Hojgaard charged up the leaderboard with a closing 64 while Bjerregaard posted a 66.
Bjerregaard nailed a bomb on the final hole to finish in a tie for second and it helped him secure his playing privileges for next season.
The final leaderboard 📈#PortugalMasters
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 7, 2021
Pieters secured daylight with a birdie on 17 putting him two clear and he drained a 20-foot par putt at 18 to seal the win.
England's Matthew Jordan and first-round leader Nino Bertasio finished in a tie for fifth.
Pieters now has five European Tour titles to his name, his fourth coming over two years ago.
The victory also punched his ticket to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
At 70th on the Race to Dubai going into this week, he needed to make a move and did so in superb fashion to leap to 29th.
Pieters delighted by win
Pieters said: "It feels amazing, really… It felt like a long time between victories.
"But Adam and I worked so hard, felt like I deserve one. It's never easy coming down the stretch.
"It feels amazing, really"
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 7, 2021
A word from our champion 🗣️#PortugalMasters pic.twitter.com/742LcVg83G
"I saw one of the Hojgaards, I don't know which one it was, was up there again. I knew I needed a birdie on the last two and that putt on the last was fantastic.
"I really fancied it, perfect speed and it was nice.
"It was nice with a two-shot lead (on 18). I was trying to aim for the front-right portion of the green. I thought bogey was enough, but making four this way was good.
"(On 17) was one of my better five irons. The feeling you get when you hit that shot is amazing, that's why I play golf.
"You know on the back nine you can shoot 30 or 29, I'm not going to say easily but it's out there.
"I expected someone to get to 17 or 18 from the back of the pack. Matthieu (Pavon) hit a couple of errant shots. Is it pressure? Is it the first time near the lead? I don't know, but he's going to learn from it.
"He played amazing, making a birdie after an eight on 12 was impressive. He'll be back."
