Gouveia, a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour, climbed to 119th in the Official World Golf Ranking on the back of his runner-up finish in last week’s ROLEX Trophy, beating the 137th place achieved by Ricardo Santos in March 2013.
Currently leading the Challenge Tour’s Road to Oman Rankings and already guaranteed a place on The European Tour next year, Gouveia is aiming to enrich an already impressive season – which has yielded no fewer than nine top tens in 13 appearances – by succeeding Frenchman Alexander Levy as the Portugal Masters champion.
He said: “The Portugal Masters is a big event for sure on my schedule. I think I will be taking the week off before it to get ready, because I’m playing so well and want to be properly prepared for it.
“There’s no reason why I can’t win the tournament this year. I feel like I have the game at the moment, and I have confidence in myself.
“I have been thinking about the tournament a lot lately. I think a win is well within my capabilities, but of course I want to enjoy the week too.”
The ninth edition of the €2 million event takes place at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura, from October 15-18, and Gouveia will be able to count on the home support as he bids to build on a tied 58th finish last year.
He said: “I always have my family there and my girlfriend, as well as my friends. It’s great to have the Portuguese support but I noticed that I also got a lot of international support last year, which was great.
“It’s a huge advantage to have the crowds behind you. Last year I was playing well, I just wasn’t holing any putts but I think the support really helped and when I holed that chip to make the cut, it was great to hear the cheers.
“I love having crowds there supporting me, and it would be great to play well in front of the home fans. Every time I have played the tournament I have had great support, and I can really feel that when I’m inside the ropes.”
Gouveia will be joined in the Algarve by his compatriot Santos, the winner of the Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI in 2012.
Tickets for the Portugal Masters are now available to buy through www.europeantour.com/tickets. If purchased in advance, any one day tickets cost €20, a saving of €5 on the gate price.