Steve Palmer's Portugal Masters first-round preview, best bets, free golf tips

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 1pm Thursday

Best bets

Tapio Pulkkanen to win 12.30pm threeball
2pts 5-4 general

Preview

Alex Fitzpatrick, Tom Lewis, Marcus Armitage, Thorbjorn Olesen and Andy Sullivan will be among the groups the Sky Sports cameras will be following on the opening afternoon of the Portugal Masters at the Dom Pedro Victoria Club, Vilamoura.

Fitzpatrick is looking to kickstart his professional career, Lewis is desperate to save his DP World Tour playing rights, Armitage is keen to shrug off his late implosion in the Mallorca Open last Sunday, while Olesen and Sullivan will expect to contend for the title.

Pick of the threeball options, though, may be Tapio Pulkkanen, the attacking Finn who is well suited to the Dom Pedro assignment. Pulkkanen is up against English duo Chris Wood and Jack Senior in the 12.30pm contest.

Pulkkanen, third in the Czech Masters at the end of August, has followed up with 22nd in Denmark, 23rd in Italy and tenth in the Dunhill Links Championship. He was 17th in the Portugal Masters last year.

The career of Wood has seriously faltered – he is down to 1,224 in the world rankings – and Pulkkanen is better suited to a birdiefest than Senior. Pulkkanen is vastly more confident with putter in hand and players have to take their chances at a track as low-scoring as the Dom Pedro.

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