Portuguese golfer Ricardo Melo Gouveia secured an eighth-place finish at the Australian PGA Championship, the opening event of the 2026 DP World Tour season, despite dropping from a share of the lead in the final round.
Melo Gouveia, 34, began Sunday’s play among a trio of leaders at the Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane.
He struggled to maintain the consistent performance he had shown in the earlier rounds.
The golfer finished with a total of 272 strokes, 12 under par, causing him to fall seven positions on the final leaderboard.
Melo Gouveia carded a 72 (one over par) in the final round, which included a bogey on the 11th hole.
He had posted strong scores of 69, 65, and 66 in the first three days of the tournament.
Reflecting on his performance, Melo Gouveia stated on social media that it was “not the day I wanted, but it was a solid week and my first ‘top 10’ of the 2026 season.”
Spanish golfer David Puig ultimately claimed the trophy, finishing with a total of 266 strokes from rounds of 68, 67, 65, and 66.
Another Portuguese competitor, Daniel Rodrigues, also saw a less successful final round at the championship.
Rodrigues, 23, was making his debut as a full member of the DP World Tour.
He finished Sunday with a 72, bringing his total score to 277 strokes, seven under par.
Rodrigues dropped from 18th to 33rd place in Brisbane.
Despite the final day’s slip, he achieved a significant milestone by making his first career cut on the DP World Tour. Rodrigues has been a professional for approximately 18 months.
Melo Gouveia, currently ranked 459th in the world, is in his eighth season on the main European professional circuit. He is set to compete next at the Crown Australian Open at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.