Ricardo Gouveia signed off in style at Abu Dhabi Golf Club as his sensational eagle clinched the  Abu Dhabi Challenge on the Challenge Tour.

It capped a brilliant 66 on Sunday in the UAE capital as the Portuguese took a massive step towards securing a DP World Tour playing card in 2024.

Gouveia, who started the day four shots off the lead, climbed into contention with a chip-in eagle on the eighth hole before birdieing the 17th and eagling the last to get to 19-under for the week and secure a sixth Challenge Tour title.

It was a topsy-turvy day, with five different players in the lead at one point, but it was Gouveia who emerged on the top of the pile, finishing two shots ahead of England’s Tom Lewis, Dubai resident Joshua Grenville-Wood, South African Wilco Nienaber and Spaniard Ivan Cantero Gutierrez, who shared second on 17-under.

Gouveia, who topped the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2015, was pleased to rediscover his form in Abu Dhabi.

“It was a crazy day.” he said. “I didn’t feel like I brought my best game off the tee, but I managed myself really well. I knew the pins were going to be tucked away and my strategy was really good. I holed some nice putts and I’m so happy to finish on top.

“I tried to focus on finishing the round strong because in golf you never know what can happen. It was a special way to finish, and I’m delighted right now.”

The 31-year-old, who will tee it up at the UAE Challenge next week at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, admits his experience of winning Challenge Tour events in the past helped him get over the line.

“I have done a lot of mental preparation recently and I have managed my nerves a lot better,” he said. “I have been using the pressure as fuel coming down the stretch.

“I had a good pre-season, and I knew my game was heading in the right direction. I didn’t start the season great, but I had five weeks of very good preparation for this event, and I felt ready to compete at the top of the leaderboard again. I’m going to play next week on the Challenge Tour and after this win I have gained so much confidence.”

Gouveia catapults to ninth place on the Road to Mallorca Rankings with 328 points. Frenchman Ugo Coussaud maintains his position at the top of the Rankings with 689 points, with South African JJ Senekal staying in second place with 446 and Swede Adam Blomme remaining in third with 409 points.