Andy DevaneyTom Lehman will join the Portugal Invitational at The Els Club Vilamoura from 31 July to 2 August 2026, adding a former Open champion, former World No. 1 and Ryder Cup captain to the inaugural PGA TOUR Champions field.
With 78 players representing 17 countries and a frankly indecent amount of silverware between them, the tournament has chosen scale over shyness for its first appearance.
Lehman Gives the Debut Field Another Heavyweight
Lehman is not being flown to Vilamoura merely to decorate the starting sheet.
The American won The Open Championship in 1996, reached World No. 1 and collected five PGA TOUR victories before building another substantial chapter of his career on PGA TOUR Champions. He also captained the United States at the 2006 Ryder Cup.
Those credentials give the tournament another player whose career can be understood without requiring a lengthy introduction or an urgent visit to the record books.
His confirmation comes with just over a week remaining before the first competitive ball is struck at The Els Club Vilamoura. For a new event trying to establish its place on the calendar, adding a major champion at that stage is useful business.
A Portugal Invitational Field Built on Serious Pedigree
The supporting cast would be capable of headlining most tournaments on its own.
Darren Clarke, Steven Alker, K.J. Choi, Justin Leonard and Y.E. Yang are also confirmed for Vilamoura. They join previously announced names including Ernie Els, Pádraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
It is less a tentative first-year field than a roll call of players who spent several decades making pressure look mildly inconvenient.
According to the tournament organisers, the 78-player field includes five members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, six Ryder Cup captains and 18 players who have competed in one of the sport’s most prestigious team events.
The cumulative career numbers are substantial: 224 PGA TOUR victories, 247 PGA TOUR Champions titles, 20 major championship victories and 44 senior major titles.
Those figures do not guarantee three days of flawless golf. They do guarantee that a good portion of the field knows precisely what to do when a tournament begins to tighten around the collar.
Vilamoura Prepares for a Landmark First Edition
The tournament will bring PGA TOUR Champions to Portugal for a three-day competition at The Els Club Vilamoura.
That setting and the calibre of the field give the event a clear identity from the outset. It is not being introduced as a novelty exhibition or a ceremonial gathering of familiar names. The emphasis is on competition, with many of senior golf’s most accomplished players arriving in Portugal for the same trophy.
“The strength and depth of this field is a fantastic reflection of what the Portugal Invitational represents in its very first year,” said Todd Rhinehart, Tournament Director of the Portugal Invitational. “To bring together major champions, World Golf Hall of Fame members, Ryder Cup captains and players from across the world at The Els Club Vilamoura is incredibly exciting, and we are looking forward to welcoming them to Portugal next week.”
For tournament organisers, that breadth matters. An inaugural event must persuade players, spectators, broadcasters and commercial partners that it belongs on the schedule. Familiar champions provide the initial attention; the quality of the competition must do the rest.
A Deep Field—and a Deep Commercial Bench
The event has also assembled an extensive group of commercial, destination and media partners ahead of its debut.
Arrow Global, Vilamoura, Visit Portugal and Visit Algarve are joined by Mercedes-Benz, Kress, Reflo, Dils, Deloitte, Lusíadas Saúde, Loulé, Heritage Wines, Heineken, Nespresso, Pacheca, Vista Alegre and Inframoura.
Media partners include SIC Notícias, Expresso, Sport TV and JCDecaux.
It is a sizeable roster, although the tournament’s long-term standing will ultimately be shaped by matters less easily arranged in a hospitality suite: the golf, the atmosphere and whether players consider Vilamoura worth returning to.
The first edition at least begins with the necessary ingredients—recognisable competitors, international distribution, destination support and enough major-championship pedigree to make the leaderboard immediately intelligible.
How to Watch the Portugal Invitational
The Portugal Invitational will be shown live in the United States on Golf Channel, the exclusive US home of PGA TOUR Champions.
Internationally, coverage of the wider 2026 PGA TOUR Champions season is being distributed to more than 170 countries and territories through 25 global broadcast partners.
That reach gives the event an audience well beyond those following the action beside the fairways in Vilamoura. It also places Portugal, the venue and the tournament’s first-year identity in front of an established global golf audience.
Tickets are available through www.portugalinvitational.com.
Tom Lehman’s arrival is the latest reason to pay attention, but the broader attraction is the field itself. For a first edition, the Portugal Invitational is not tiptoeing onto the calendar; it is arriving with enough silverware to make the baggage handlers nervous.
