Ricardo Santos this week will look to do something that has never been achieved in the 40-year history of the European Tour.

After capturing the Madeira Islands Open in May, Portugal’s leading golfer will be striving to win this week’s Euro 2.5m Portugal Masters at his home Oceanico Victoria course at Vilamoura.

Victory afforded Santos the former Challenge Tour player the luxury a one-year exemption on the European Tour and he’s naturally delighted to be competing again on home soil and with the benefit of family members, friends and the Portuguese population behind him.

Ricardo Santos looking to become the first ever Portugal player to win the Madeira Islands Open and the Portugal Masters. (Photo – Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)

“It’s going to be an exciting week, like everybody knows, I have all the crowd, the family, the friends, to watch the tournament, of course watch me, I hope,” he said.

“That’s very good for me, and it’s a good help for Portuguese players and for me, as well.

“But it could be sometimes additional pressure.  Depends how you play.  I think normal helps, because you feel somebody support you and help you to give good shots and make the good score.

“The crowd support on the last day at Madeira felt good and definitely helped, especially the last day, even when I miss one shot.  So all the crowd support me and help me to go and keep going.

“And like I say, I think normal helps and it’s really, really good.  I feel good with that.”

And Santos, who is currently ranked 94th in the Race to Dubai, is hoping a good finish can help send him into the top-60 and a place in the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

“My goal is still try and get inside the top-60 and it’s a golf course that is my kind of course, my kind of shape course,” he said.

“The greens are really nice this week, so I think better than the last three years.  And like I say before, no rough on the tee, so that helps a little bit.

Santos will play the opening two days in the company of Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey and French golfing ace Raphael Jacquelin.

Also competing this week is Santos’ brother, Hugo with the duo last competing together when they represented Portugal in last November’s World Cup of Golf at Hainan Island in China.