Italy’s most successful golfer, Costantino Rocca, believes this month’s Sicilian Open will help his country build on a hugely successful 2010 campaign and help nurture new talent.
Last season saw the Molinari brothers, Edoardo and Francesco, emulate the 54 year old as Ryder Cup players, while teenager Matteo Manassero recorded his first European Tour victory, and Rocca feels the Sicilian Open is an important part of Italy’s continuing development into a golfing force.
The 54 year old, who now plies his trade on the European Senior Tour, is making a rare return to European Tour action to support the inaugural tournament from March 17-20, which is the first event of the 2011 schedule to be played on European soil.
“It is very important for golf in Italy that we have another European Tour event as well as the BMW Italian Open,” said Rocca, who lost in a play-off to John Daly in The 1995 Open Championship. “Having these tournaments helps young Italian players come through and see the best players in action.
“Sicily is an important region for the development of golf in our country and this tournament comes at the right time. In Sicily you can play golf 12 months a year and we need to promote the region and let people know that.
“We are building new golf courses in Italy but we’ve only had one tournament over the past couple of years. Sponsors want to see more tournaments and to attract more people. We have the facilities, the courses, the weather and some good young players coming through so we need to promote golf in this way, through tournaments.
“I always try to support events in Italy and with the success we’ve had over the last year we need to put ourselves in the front line to keep up with Spain and France and other countries in the Mediterranean area.”
The five time European Tour winner, who famously defeated Tiger Woods in The 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama to help Seve Ballesteros’ Europe defeat the United States, is confident that host venue, the magnificent Donnafugata Golf Resort and SPA, will be a good test for Europe’s current crop of stars.
“I played the course in December and it is a very young course but it is also a very good course,” said Rocca. “It is a nice resort with great facilities and the hotel is on the golf course, which is perfect for the players.
“The rough is not too severe – it’s probably about 10 cm – and the greens were fast and undulating. There are also some strong winds, which you would expect in Sicily as it’s not far from the sea. It will be a good test for the European Tour players.”
Rocca will be joined in the field for the inaugural Sicilian Open by Colin Montgomerie, one of his teammates from his three Ryder Cup appearances in 1993, 1995 and 1997.
As well as helping to attract crowds to the tournament, Rocca is also looking forward to The 2010 Ryder Cup Captain’s appearance on a personal level.
“As I don’t really play on The European Tour anymore it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Monty – probably about five or six years – so I’m looking to catching up with him,” he said. “He did a great job winning The Ryder Cup last year in tough conditions so it will be nice to see him again.
“Maybe I can start a new relationship with him again in Sicily,” he joked. “It will also be good to see some of the younger players too though. I respect them a lot and hopefully they might respect me too and put the tees forward.”
