GOLF – Fresh from his dominant wire-to-wire victory at the PGA Aroeira Challenge, Ludovico Addabbo will look to continue his blistering start to life on the Mena Golf Tour when the Rolear Algarve Classic gets underway this week, from today to Thursday at Amendoeira Golf Resort’s O’Connor Course in Portugal.
The 27-year-old Italian’s emphatic three-stroke triumph in Lisbon last week, where he carded a bogey-free final round 65 to finish 18-under-par, not only secured his first professional victory but also banked him $18,000 from the $100,000 prize fund.
Now, he returns to action hoping to build on that breakthrough performance in the second of 12 events on the relaunched Mena Golf Tour’s inaugural season.
“Last week’s win gave my confidence a little boost, but I already knew that my game was in shape,” said Addabbo.
“It’s been a very big relief after a long time playing well without big results and I’m excited for this week’s event to try to keep the momentum going.”
Addabbo will face stiff competition from a strong Portuguese contingent spearheaded by local favourite Pedro Figueiredo, who finished runner-up at Aroeira.
The 34-year-old delighted home supporters with a spectacular eagle from the rough on the 17th hole to claim second place, and he’ll be determined to go one better on home soil this week.
Joining Figueiredo in representing Portuguese golf is Tomas Gouveia, younger brother of Ricardo, who won the 2015 Challenge Tour Rankings and represented Portugal at the 2016 World Cup.
The Scottish challenge will once again be formidable, led by Sebastian Sandin who shared the opening round lead with Addabbo at Aroeira before finishing third at 13-under-par.
The Dunblane player, who also finished tied-second at Q School, has shown impressive form over consecutive weeks and will be among the favourites to challenge for the title.
Among those looking to kick on will be the UAE’s Ahmad Skaik, who made his professional debut at Aroeira after a stellar amateur career that included a gold medal at the 2025 GCC Golf Championship and a 13th-place finish at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.
The Dubai-based left-hander will be eager to find his rhythm in his second tournament as a professional.
Q School winner Chris Wood returns to action after a challenging opening week at Aroeira.
The former Ryder Cup star and three-time DP World Tour winner dominated qualifying at Troia with a six-stroke victory but will be looking for a stronger showing on the O’Connor Course as he continues his journey back to competitive golf’s upper levels.
England’s Will Marshall and France’s Nicolas Calvet, both of whom earned their Category Three Tour cards alongside Sandin at Q School, will also be back in action, looking to build on their performances from the season opener.
The pair impressed in testing conditions during qualifying and have shown they possess the quality to compete for titles.
France’s Sebastien Gros returns to the field bringing pedigree from his time on the HotelPlanner Tour, where he claimed two victories in 2015 and finished second in the season rankings.
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