Hugo Santos, a veteran Portuguese golfer, secured a narrow victory over the nation’s top-ranked player, Ricardo Melo Gouveia, at the Timestamp Golf Tour Final Pro-Am held in Portugal this week.
Santos’s team finished 27 strokes under par. He contributed significantly with seven birdies during his round.
Melo Gouveia’s team finished just one stroke behind at 26 under par, securing second place. The current Portuguese No. 1 golfer is set to begin the 2026 DP World Tour season in Australia next week.
Despite his imminent international travel, Melo Gouveia chose to participate in the national circuit event. He is also scheduled to play the first round of the Timestamp Golf Tour Final on Friday morning.
The Pro-Am was part of the Timestamp Golf Tour Final by PGA National. This marked the sixth and final tournament of the 2025 national professional circuit. It is sanctioned by the Portuguese Golf Federation and PGA Portugal.
Santos, a national champion in 2012, praised the host course. “It’s always good to come back to Aroeira,” he said, adding that “the course was in good condition, considering the weather in recent days.”
He also acknowledged his amateur partners, José Correia, Ricardo Bruno, and Paulo Francisco. “I also want to thank my team – everyone was very good,” Santos stated. “I had some good moments, others less good, but the team took over during those periods and my partners supported me well.”
Santos currently serves as a coach at the Vilamoura Golf Club.
Melo Gouveia, a professional at Quinta do Lago, recently achieved a top-15 finish. This was at a Rolex Series tournament on the DP World Tour in Dubai earlier this year.
This was Melo Gouveia’s second appearance in the 2025 Timestamp Golf Tour. In July, he won the Pro-Am of the National Professional Championship in Troia.
The tournament boasts a strong field, including many of Portugal’s top professional golfers. Players like Susana Ribeiro, Ricardo Santos, Pedro Figueiredo, Tomás Melo Gouveia, Tomás Bessa, Pedro Lencart, and Vasco Alves are regular international competitors.
Daniel da Costa Rodrigues was a notable absence, as he is competing in the PGA Tour Qualifying School Final in the United States. Miguel Azevedo Cardoso, the national amateur champion last year, made his professional debut.
In the Pro-Am’s closing ceremony, skill awards were presented. Fernando Santos won for closest to the pin, while Henrique Ferreira took the longest drive honor.