Italian Open.
OPEN OF ITALY.
74th Italian Open
The 74th edition of the Italian Open, the ninth hosted by the Milan Golf Club, saw a new attendance record with 73,000 spectators, a field of grand champions and, for the first time, $7,000,000 in prize money.
The top national golf event, spearhead of the 2022 Ryder Cup Project and included among the eight world-class tournaments of the European Tour’s Rolex Series, was won by England’s Tyrrell Hatton with 263 (-21), edging out compatriot Ross Fisher and Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnat by one stroke.
At the Milan Golf Club, on four beautiful sunny days, the glimpse was impressive. A human wall of enthusiasm with many families and many children captivated by the feats of the competing champions, who were always ready to go for autographs.
OPEN OF ITALY.
73rd Italian Open
The 73rd Italian Open saw Francesco Molinari triumph, the first Italian to win the top national competition twice since it became part of the European Tour circuit in 1972.
The Italian champion repeated his 2006 success after getting the better of England’s Danny Willett, the defending Masters champion, by one stroke, finishing the tournament with 262 strokes (-22).
The seventh edition of the Open hosted by the Milan Golf Club was a success with the public, despite the bad weather on the first two days: in fact, there were 47,000 total spectators over the four days, and, with 20,000 spectators, Sunday’s event broke the previous single-day attendance record.
OPEN OF ITALY.
72nd Italian Open
The 72nd edition of the Italian Open Golf Championship saw the surprise triumph of Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg. With a total score of 269 strokes (-19), Karlberg achieved his first success on the European Tour by overtaking Germany’s Martin Kaymer on the second playoff hole, thanks to a decisive birdie.
The sixth edition hosted by the Milan Golf Club saw an extraordinary turnout, with 48,000 total spectators and 16,000 on the last day alone; with these numbers, the previous attendance record of 41,000 for the 2008 Italian Open at the Castello di Tolcinasco Golf Club was surpassed.
Among the Italians, an excellent performance by young amateur Lorenzo Scalise, a home player, who finished in 11th place with -16, the best result by an amateur since 2004.
OPEN OF ITALY.
Previous Editions
Our club has had the privilege of hosting the Italian Open on 9 occasions: 1951, 1952, 1956, 1981, 1984, 1990, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
In 1951, Scotland’s Jimmy Adams got the better of compatriot Eric Brown by one stroke, finishing with 283 strokes. The following year it was Eric Brown himself who took his revenge, triumphing by 6 strokes over Italian champion Alfonso Angelini.
The 1956 edition saw the success of Argentine Antonio Cerda in a playoff with Belgian outfielder Flory Van Donck, after both athletes finished the tournament at 284 strokes.
After a very long hiatus, Italy’s top competition returned to the fairways of the Milan Golf Club in 1981, when Spaniard Jose Maria Canizares triumphed in a playoff with American Bobby Clampett. Third, just two strokes behind the leaders, is young German Bernhard Langer, future winner of two Masters.
In 1984 the victory was the preserve of Sandy Lyle with 277 strokes. The great Scottish champion, later winner of an Open Championship (1985), a Masters (1988) and 5-time member of the European Ryder Cup team, triumphed by 4 strokes over American Bobby Clampett.
The 1990 edition, won by Englishman Richard Boxall with an extraordinary score of -21 (267 strokes), saw the participation of many top names. They include Spaniards Severiano Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, American Craig Stadler, Scotsman Bernard Gallacher-a Ryder Cup captain in 1993 and 1995-Argentinean Eduardo “El Gato” Romero, and Fiji Islands champion Vijay Singh. The large Italian contingent included Giuseppe Calì, best placed sixth, Costantino Rocca, Baldovino Dassù, Alberto Binaghi and Silvio Grappasonni.
