Golf By John Haughey BBC Sport NI

Hoey was one of only two golfers to shoot as low as 66 on Sunday

Two days on, Michael Hoey still appears almost stunned by his dramatic victory at the Portugal Open.

The 30-year-old was back at his home club Shandon Park in east Belfast on Tuesday where he reflected on his "life-changing" Sunday afternoon.

Hoey's target this season was to retain his European Tour Card but his goal now has to be revised sharply upwards after his play-off triumph in Estoril.

"Before I went out in the final round, I just said to myself, 'shoot a good score today and even if you get a top-five finish, it would be good'," Hoey told BBC Sport Interactive.

"I was in contention to keep my card after some good finishes this year and the form was sort of coming but I could never have foreseen winning in Portugal."

Hoey modestly adds that fortune was on his side.

"It was my day. I shot five under (66) and was lucky to get into a play-off.

"I thought I would come up one short but to then get the chance and to keep holing those putts to keep it going."

You don't have to hit the ball that well to win. That's the crazy thing Michael Hoey

Hoey holed nerve-janglers from four and five feet on the opening two play-off holes against Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano before another six-footer sealed victory.

"On the 72nd hole, I had a (eight-foot) putt and I just had the feeling 'This is to win the Portuguese Open' and I got a bit tentative and left it short.

"In the play-off, it was almost easier because I had to hole those putts.

"I could hit them a little bit firmer. They were must-make putts. I'd worked on my putting a lot during the week and it had improved."

Hoey has put in a huge amount of work on his short game over the last year after coming to the realisation that failing to turn three shots into two around the green was the main reason for his struggles on tour.

"You don't have to hit the ball that well to win. That's the crazy thing.

"As a kid, you think you have to hit absolutely every shot perfectly and shoot 25 under to win.

"But really if you scramble well and just get the up and downs, that's what it comes down to."

By the same token, Hoey's long game has become more consistent over the last 12 months as some swing changes introduced in recent years have finally begun to bed down.

606: DEBATE we'll need to add a new board at Shandon for European Tour winners sirlemons11

Prior to Sunday's victory, Hoey had this year finished second at the African Open behind Retief Goosen in addition to achieving four top-20 finishes on the European Tour - including a sixth place in Madeira.

"I'm starting to hit it a lot better and if I can just work on my short game a bit and get a little bit of belief, I can have my chances."

Hoey's weekend victory means that worries over gaining entry to the European Tour's marquee events such as the PGA Championship, the Scottish Open and the European Open are now over.

"You get to a new category as a result of it and that gets you into all the big ones and you're playing for maybe four times as much prize money in some of these events such as the PGA."

That will be a far cry from his numerous visits to the Tour School in recent seasons which included missing out on a card by a heartbreaking one shot five years ago.

"I appreciate this 100 times more than if it had happened in my first year as a pro," adds Hoey, who secured this year's tour card by producing a brilliant 67 in the final round of the School last November.

"I wouldn't wish it on anyone missing cuts and struggling but I think now that is keeping me solid and I'm just going to work even harder."

Messages of congratulation since the weekend have included a text from his 2001 Walker Cup team-mate and fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.

Trying to get into the Open at Turnberry in July is obviously a goal for me now Michael Hoey

"I got a nice text from Graeme, saying that it was great and that we'll get a few games in the near future and that he'll take some money off me in practice.

"That was tremendous and I wished him good luck for Augusta this week."

Hoey's British Amateur triumph in 2001 earned him an invitation to the Masters in 2002 when he went on to miss the cut by only one shot.

The Belfast man's triumph last weekend means that he can genuinely ponder the prospect of playing more majors in the near future.

"Trying to get into the Open at Turnberry in July is obviously a goal for me now," says the world number 148.

He will also have a crack at the European qualifier for the US Open in June while even a move into the top 100 in the rankings would open the door to a possible invite to the USPGA Championship at Hazeltine in August.

"I've got to keep working hard and kicking on," concludes Hoey.

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