Nine years ago, at Vidago Palace Golf, Sofia Barroso Sa made history by becoming the first woman to win Portugal’s oldest trophy, the Taça Mendes de Almeida.
This week, Barroso Sa returns to the same venue hoping to rekindle some old magic ahead of her fourth LET Access Series (LETAS) start at the October 20-22 Super Bock Ladies Open.
The Portuguese 22-year-old golfer, who turned professional after graduating from Texas Christian University in May, is one of four local players among a field of 84 players.
“It feels really good, even though I’m still three hours away from my actual home,” Barroso Sa said. “It’s a place I really enjoying playing at and it’s really special.
“I’ve played two tournaments here and I’ve won both times I played. I also have a really special person caddying for me this week. She was a great player and a couple of years ago, she played on LETAS as well. I invited her to be my caddy and be with me this week. We have a really cool friendship.”
Born in Belmonte, Barroso Sa became Portugal’s top-ranked amateur despite living far away from the southern region of Algarve where most of the country’s golf courses are located.
“I started when I was seven years old on a pitch and putt golf course which closed two or three years after I started,” she said. “I’ve never had an 18-hole golf course near to my house. The closest one is still one hour and 45 minutes away.
“I became a national champion when I was nine, it was the first national championship I participated in, so my dad created a driving range on my grandparent’s farm and that’s how I continued to play golf.
“We have a lot of golf courses in Algarve and in Lisbon, but where I’m from there’s no golf courses. I think there shouldn’t be a barrier for people not to play golf.”
Now, Barroso Sa is the only active professional golfer from the country.
“We have a good generation coming,” she said. “There’s a couple players in the US, we have a good group which is going to be good in I think three or four years. I’m the only professional right now.
“It’s kind of like a responsibility to be in this position, but at the same time, I take it with great pride to represent Portugal.”
In 2025, when she was still an amateur, Barroso Sa received two tournament invites to play on the LET.
She made the cut at both events as an amateur, finishing T-40 at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open and T-30 at the Tenerife Women’s Open. Her result in Tenerife was the best-ever finish by a Portuguese women’s golfer at any professional event.
Now, Barroso Sa is hoping to kickstart her career and make her mark on Europe’s biggest stage.
“Making the transition from amateur to professional is not easy,” she added. “But I think in a couple years I want to be playing on Ladies European Tour. The goal is to win on the LET and on LETAS.”
Barroso Sa will begin Round 1 of the Super Bock Ladies Open from the 1st tee at 9.30am (local time) alongside Sweden’s Moa Fridell and Czech amateur Anna Ludvova.
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