Zach Johnson Captures Inaugural Portugal Invitational At The Els Club

QUARTEIRA, PORTUGAL - AUGUST 2: Zach Johnson of the United States lines before plays his third shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the Portugal Invitational 2026 at The Els Club Vilamoura on August 2, 2026 in Quarteira, Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

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Zach Johnson won the inaugural Portugal Invitational by two shots over Stewart Cink at the Els Club in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Johnson began the final round one stroke behind a trio of leaders. Rory Sabatini, Stewart Cink, and Padraig Harrington all started the day tied for first place at 13-under par.

"I got off to the dream start, and I really felt like the putt going in on seven was key. I had a couple of putts that lipped in that could have lipped out, and that was the difference," Johnson said in an article published by the BBC.

Johnson opened his round with three consecutive birdies. He added birdies on the 7th and 9th holes to shoot 5-under par on the front nine and surge into the lead heading to the back nine. Cink bogeyed the second hole of the day, dropping out of the lead.

Cink mounted a charge on the back nine, shooting 3-under par and remaining in contention until Johnson sank a long birdie putt on the final hole to seal the victory.

"Birdieing 7 was probably the one that really absolutely kickstarted it because I would argue that's probably the hardest hole today. But I hit two of the best shots I've hit consecutively and managed to make a putt," Johnson said in Golfweek. "I hadn't looked at a leaderboard, that was my game. I mean, the way I see it, being in contention really doesn’t start till the back nine, if you will."

The 7th hole ranked as the toughest on the course during the tournament. The 478-yard par 4 yielded only four birdies in the final round and played 0.312 strokes over par. The hole gently bends from right to left, with fairway bunkers staggered along both sides. It gradually rises to a slightly elevated green.

"Our host Ernie is all class, and what he has done with this facility is so impressive. It’s great for us pros but also playable for beginners — and the Algarve generally is easy to love and hard to leave," Johnson said in BBC.

For resort guests, the challenging 7th hole can be played from more manageable yardages using one of four sets of tees.

The course is generous off the tee, particularly on the front nine, which features few in-play water hazards. The back nine is more demanding, incorporating multiple forced water carries on both tee shots and approach shots.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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