The Italian Challenge Open Eneos Motor Oil takes place at Golf Club Castelconturbia this week and we have picked out three players who could be challenging for the title.
Jens Dantorp
Swedish players have a record of strong performances in this event and Jens Dantorp could be well-placed to continue that historic success. Mikael Lundberg won the first edition of the event in 2007 and a purple patch between 2016 and 2018 saw Johan Edfors, Joel Sjöholm and Sebastian Soderberg win in successive years.
Dantorp, a two-time Challenge Tour winner, is back among the ranks after graduating in 2017. The 31-year-old missed three successive cuts earlier in the year but has bounced back lately, finishing in a tie for 21st place at the Northern Ireland Open Supported by The R&A before attaining a tie for fifth place at the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos.
Matteo Manassero
A man with pedigree. Following a stellar amateur career which included winning The Amateur Championship and the Silver Medal at The Open Championship, Manassero turned professional and became the youngest winner in European Tour history with victory in the 2010 Castello Masters at 17 years and 188 days. He then went on to win four titles by the age of 20, including the 2013 BMW PGA Championship.
That victory at Wentworth turned out to be his last… until recently. The Italian, who is still only 27, has experienced a tough few years on the golf course, but secured his first victory for seven years on the Alps Tour at the Toscana Alps Open.
It was a welcome victory for Manassero and he could be one to watch on home soil now he has sampled that taste of victory once again.
David Boote
Fresh from his best finish of the season, David Boote is a man trending in the right direction. The Welshman was forced to withdraw from the Northern Ireland Open Supported by The R&A at the halfway stage after suffering an allergic reaction on the morning of the third round, but that frustration only provided him with the motivation he needed to record his highest finish of the year.
The 27-year-old made the cut at the Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos after reaching three under par for his opening two rounds. He then soared into contention with a sublime bogey-free six under par third round of 66. After being forced to finish his third round on the morning of the fourth day due to inclement weather earlier in the week, Boote could not quite find the birdies he needed to mount a serious challenge in the final round. Incredibly, the Welshman posted a closing level par round of 72 which included 18 pars and finished the tournament having gone 52 holes without a bogey, after starting round two with back-to-back blemishes.
