Twenty-five years ago Richard Boxall won his first, and only, European Tour title when he captured the Italian Open here at Golf Club Milano.
Returning for the first time since that memorable victory, Boxall has spent this week in the commentary box for Sky Sports, providing viewers with expert analysis and insights from the 72˚ OPEN D’ITALIA presented by DAMIANI.
But turning back the clock, Boxall recalls how he finally got over the line and while a five shot victory may seem like a stroll in the Monza park, it was anything but for a player seeking his first win.
“I shot 65-64-70-68 and won by five, playing with Edoardo Romero and José Maria Olazábal in the last round,” he recounted. “I was five ahead heading into the last round and birdied the first three holes, and Ollie followed me straight in. I thought ‘Please leave me alone, I just want to win one of these!’
“Conditions were wet that week although we played it in May rather than this time of year . We had rain delays and I remember I had a five shot lead after the third round and prayed for rain overnight as thought I didn’t want to go and do this the next day! Whipped open the curtains in the morning and it wasn’t raining and thought ‘Oh God’.
“I got here late for the Pro-Am on the Wednesday as the taxi driver dropped me off on the racetrack because he couldn’t find the course. I was going under the fence with golf bag, suitcase and everything. Andy Bladon was caddying for me and I was last off at 2.10pm in the Pro-Am and only two people turned up so just the three of us. We ambled around and finished about seven o’clock and little did I know what was about to happen.
“The night before the final round, David Feherty was staying with us and as I went to bed, he asked where I was going. Told him I was going to bed to which he said there was no point in that as I wouldn’t be able to sleep and took me out to the old part of town. Found a lovely café in front of a church, had a couple of drinks and coffees and went to bed about 11pm. Got up fine the next day.
“And I played really well on the final day and shot 68. There’s always that thought if you shoot 73 it’s a tie so it was hard. I remember I holed a good birdie putt on the 13th, quite a long one from about 25 feet, and the next week at Wentworth Ollie came up to me and said well done to me and then said: ‘It was all over by the 13th wasn’t it’. Not in my mind it wasn’t.
“You see 18th is a dogleg right to left and there’s an overhanging branch and we had to wait for them to finish on the green. I was leading by five and Ollie and Romero were behind me and they had about a three iron in. But it was going through my mind ‘Ollie holes his second shot, I plug it in the left hand trap, fat it, comes out, hits my shin and before I hit my second shot I was actually finishing about eighth!’ It’s how your brain works.
“Andy, my caddie, says ‘Right, four iron out right of this branch and sling it right back towards this flag.’
“I wasn’t having any of that with out of bounds over the back so thought 5 iron over the top of the branch to the front edge, two putts and that’ll do me. That exactly what I did. Two putted from about 60 feet, putting up to about an inch from the hole. Marked it and thought “Well, you are alright now”.
“I shot 21 under in total so it might be mentioned this week in my commentary if they don’t get to 21 under par….and they have preferred lies as well.”
It was a victory that was the prove the highlight of his 17 year European Tour career as he never again made it to the winners’ enclosure.
“I had been playing well for a couple of years and had a couple of second places so was doing well. Everyone was saying it won’t be long until you win and therefore it meant a lot. But I couldn’t win another one after that. Well after that I broke my leg in 1991.
“But 1990 was a good season as I played in the Dunhill Cup and World Cup for England after I won here, finishing second in both. I was just beginning to play nicely and when the next season came, because I had such a good season before you immediately want to be on the leaderboard. I think I was on the leaderboard 14 times in 1990 but then you have a bit of time off, and things aren’t quite the same and you are desperately trying to get on the board again. Then got up to the Open, and by the time I got there I had this pain in my shin and the rest is history really. I broke my leg and never really played the same again.
“So this is the first time back here since that win in 1990 so I am really, in effect, the defending champion. I have worked for Sky for 16 years now and played the Tour for 17 – it has gone incredibly quickly.
“I have the cup, a replica of the trophy. Got a good photo of the trophies and two big guards with their busby hats. Picture was on the front of Golf Illustrated with the headline “The Italian Job”."
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