Ahead of his third appearance at Galgorm Castle Guido Migliozzi admits he cannot wait to tee it up again at the Northern Ireland venue which he considers to be his ‘second home’.
The Italian represented his country in the European Golf Team Championships last week, and after making the 180-mile journey down from Gleneagles, the 21 year old revealed his delight at returning to a familiar setting for this week’s Galgorm Resort and Spa Northern Ireland Open presented by Modest! Golf.
“It is starting to feel like a second home to me,” he said. “This is one of the best events of the year in Northern Ireland, the course is very nice, and it will be very important for me to have a good week.
“I know the course very well, I know what strategy you need to have here, what you need to do well.
“It is very important to keep your first tee shot on the fairway, there are some very tricky tee shots here and the course is much firmer than it was last year so the ball should roll a lot further. If I can keep it on the fairway then it should be a fun tournament.”
Migliozzi has endured a difficult season on the Challenge Tour, but has recently flourished on the satellite Alps Tour, winning twice and finishing as a runner-up over the course of his last four starts at that level.
The Vincenza native believes he has the game to succeed on the Challenge Tour, and beyond, and admits that he has been inspired by the recent successes of three-time Major Champion Brooks Koepka who won four times on Europe’s top developmental tour during his formative years.
“I don’t know if there is a difference between the Alps Tour and the Challenge Tour – it is just a different mental challenge,” he said. “I have played well on the Alps Tour and now I must do that again on the Challenge Tour and then when I get a chance on the European Tour in the future too.
“If you look at players like Brooks Koepka, who won on the Challenge Tour and is now a three-time Major winner, then you know it can quickly change – I want to be like Brooks.”
