In the second of our new weekly player blogs, Andrea Pavan talks to us about Poggio dei Medici Golf Club, admiring Matteo Manassero and what he does in his spare time…
So far, so good
This week at the Mugello Tuscany Open is my third Challenge Tour event and it’s going okay so far. I’ve made two cuts and played not alright in both except I missed too many putts. Hopefully now I will play most of the events on the Challenge Tour for the rest of the year and get a bit of momentum going and play well. I haven’t played very much this year. I played the Sicilian Open and an EPD Tour event, so not much. From now on I’ll hopefully be playing a lot. Right now I just want to take it step by step. It would be nice to finish in the top 20 in the Rankings, of course, but right now I just have to focus on getting the chances to play.
Happy memories
I won the Italian Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Poggio dei Medici in 2005, so I remember this course well. Federico Colombo, who is also playing this week, was second so I guess he will enjoy playing his this event too. It’s a hilly course and has some tricky holes but I like it a lot and it gives me great confidence to know I’ve won on it.
Some Italian inspiration
I didn’t see Matteo Manassero’s victory in the Maybank Malaysian Open in March live as I was in the States, but I was following his scores and I watched the highlights on television. It was so impressive. He’s a real inspiration for Italian guys – he and the Molinari brothers are playing some fantastic golf. In the last two years they’ve both played really well and I think they give us lots of motivation to follow in their footsteps and hopefully they will pull us with them.
Away from golf
I love soccer and support AS Roma. They are fighting for fourth place in Serie A this year for a Champions League spot, so hopefully they will finish strongly and do it. I try to watch them as much as I can. I couldn’t watch them so much when I was in the States at university, but now I am back in Italy it is easier. In my spare time I also like spending time with my friends, watching TV and movies, listening to music… normal stuff and a little bit of everything. I like to play sports but lately I don’t find enough time. I used to play a lot of soccer but now I keep hearing from my friends about their injuries and I definitely don’t want that.
Enjoying Florence
This area is a lovely place – very quiet and beautiful with all the scenery. The food is really good too. I would definitely recommend it to anyone to come here, and if they enjoy golf they will love it as the course here is excellent.
