O'Connor course opens in Portugal

Christy O'Connor Jr in front of his statue

The latest course designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr has been officially opened at Oceânico’s new Amendoeira Golf Resort near Vilamoura, Portugal with a statue of the Irish legend outside the clubhouse.

Designed by renowned Irish sculptor Paul Ferriter, the bronzeand figure is in the image of O'Connor after he defeated Fred Couples in the 1989 Ryder Cup at the Belfry.

The par-72 course features lush landscaping and orange groves in a low-lying valley where large areas of lakes and watercourses demand accurate play and creative shot making. It also includes O’Connor’s own version of Amen Corner, with a lake that runs from the 9th, through the 8th and into the 7th on the front nine.

The finishing hole has a gentle climb towards the magnificent clubhouse with the river running along the right hand side of the fairway.

The official opening of the two Amendoeira courses - the other was designed by Nick Faldo - comes ahead of this week's Portugal Masters (October 16-19) hosted by Oceânico's Victoria course.

For the pre- tournament shoot-out today (October 14) the Oceânico All Star Shootout features three holes on the O'Connor and three on the Faldo course.

The six-man greensomes charity skins event features England (Lee Westwood / David Howell) against Ireland (Darren Clarke / Rory McIlroy) and the Rest of the World (Charl Schwartzel / James Kingston).

For further information about green fees an opening times for visitors, visit www.oceanicogolf.com.