The final full-field event of the DP World Tour season, the Portugal Masters, starts in Vilamoura on Thursday morning and represents the last chance for some players to save their Tour cards for next year.
The 120 players teeing off have a contrasting set of objectives. For some, like former course winners Tom Lewis and Lucas Bjerregaard, this week is about doing enough to retain DP World Tour playing rights.
Lewis, Bjerregaard and several others teeing up this week are outside the top 117 in the Race to Dubai standings, so will lose their DP World Tour card unless they have a strong Portugal Masters and move up the list.
| What | Portugal Masters |
| Where | Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Club, Vilamoura, Portugal |
| When | Thursday 27th October - 30th October 2022 |
| How to watch | Sky Sports Golf |
| Odds | Robert MacIntyre 14/1, Jordan Smith 16/1, Victor Perez 18/1, Nicolai Hojgaard 18/1, Antoine Rozner 22/1 |
With only the top 65 and ties qualifying for round three of the Portugal Masters, the Race to Dubai strugglers will be under enormous pressure from the off.
For others, like the market leaders, this is a much more relaxing week in the Vilamoura sunshine.
Robert MacIntyre, who is 14/1 for victory, is seeking to claim a third DP World Tour success. Jordan Smith, a 16/1 chance, is looking to end a winning drought of more than five years, while Victor Perez, an 18/1 poke, can complete a DP World Tour hat-trick by topping the leaderboard on Sunday.
Rasmus Hojgaard, who has had a packed schedule recently and seemed to run out of puff in a final-round 75 in Mallorca on Sunday, has opted to skip the Portugal Masters. His twin brother Nicolai, though, is an 18/1 chance for Vilamoura glory.
Standard each-way terms of a quarter the odds, the first five places are available, as well as other options in the Each Way Extra market, including the increasingly popular fifth the odds, the first eight places.
Portugal Masters course details
The 7,191-yard, par-71 Dom Pedro layout has three par-fives, 11 par-fours and four par-threes. It has hosted the Portugal Masters since 2007.
The 2005 World Cup was another prestigious gathering at this venue. It is a flat, exposed track which is similar in style to venues found in the DP World Tour's Middle East events.
The 481-yard third, the 510-yard seventh and the 463-yard 18th are the three most difficult par-fours.
The fairways are wide and seven times the winning score has been at least 20-under par - Oliver Fisher carded the Tour's first and only round of 59 on the second day of the 2018 Portugal Masters.
The par-fives (the fifth, 12th and 17th), along with the 315-yard, water-free, driveable par-four 15th, are the most obvious birdie opportunities. A mixture of sunshine and cloud is forecast, with temperatures around 21C, and light to moderate winds.
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Andy Sullivan
The 25/1 for Andy Sullivan to win a second Portugal Masters has been proving popular with punters.
The genial Midlander won the 2015 edition of the tournament by a staggering nine shots - he obliterated the field and set a 72-hole scoring record.
Sullivan came close to successfully defending his title in 2016, pipped by Padraig Harrington, and his love for this layout is obvious.
Given how well Sullivan has been swinging in the last three months, it is reasonable to expect a bold effort from the former Ryder Cupper.
Thorbjorn Olesen
The signs have also been encouraging for another former European Ryder Cup star - Thorbjorn Olesen has been looking close to his best form.
The Portugal Masters 25/1 chance was struggling with his driving for a while, but 21st spot at Le Golf National in the French Open and 20th place in the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama showed the Dane has straightened up.
The Dom Pedro is the sort of track where Olesen's attacking instinct is positive - and he can usually be relied upon to putt well. A seventh DP World Tour title on Sunday seems entirely feasible.
Gavin Green
Malaysian powerhouse Gavin Green has made eight cuts in a row, finishing runner-up in the Czech Masters, and he could go close to a maiden DP World Tour title this week.
Green, who won on the Asian Tour in 2017, is an underachiever at the age of 28. He is blessed with immense natural talent, though, and 40/1 could prove a popular price given he finished 11th in the Mallorca Open on Sunday.
The Dom Pedro sets up perfectly for this ultra-aggressive birdie machine, who is 40/1 for the win.
