Story highlights
England's Tom Lewis wins Portugal Masters after stunning 65 at Vilamoura
Lewis playing only third professional event after glittering amateur career
He wins by two shots from third round leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain
Lee Westwood claims star-studded invitational event in China
Tom Lewis, the leading amateur at this year British Open, secured his first victory as a professional with a stunning final round of 65 giving him the Portugal Masters title Sunday.
Lewis, tipped for great things after a glittering amateur career, could hardly have expected to secure his maiden European Tour title so quickly, but the 20-year-old Englishman emerged from the chasing pack to win by two shots from overnight leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello of Spain.
Lewis shot to prominence as he led at Sandwich, also with a 65, and was then part of the victorious Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup side against the United States before joining the professional ranks.
His appearance at Vilamoura was only his third in the paid ranks and a run of five birdies in six holes on the back nine allowed him to set a clubhouse target of 21-under 267, which his more experienced rivals were unable to match.
“I wouldn’t have expected that at all,” Lewis told the official European Tour website.
“I was dreading qualifying school at the end of the year but it looks like I’ve skipped that. I’m just really pleased with my performance,” added Lewis, who learned his golf at the same Welwyn Garden City club as six-time major winner Nick Faldo.
Felipe Aguilar, George Coetzee, Gregory Havret , David Lynn and Christian Nilsson finished tied for third on 18-under, with former world number one Martin Kaymer and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn in a group a further shot back.
Meanwhile, world number two Lee Westwood secured victory in a special challenge tournament in China which saw an invitational field play 18 holes across seven cities.
Westwood beat home player Liang Wenchong in a playoff at Caesars Golf in Macau as he holed a 12-foot birdie putt at the first sudden death hole.
They had both parred the day’s two holes to record an 18-hole total of two-under-par 71, one shot ahead of Ian Poulter.
Rory McIlroy, the U.S. Open champion and world number three, finished six-over-par in the four-man event.
