This week the DP World Tour heads to 2023 Ryder Cup venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, with some likely members of Luke Donald's team teeing it up for the 2022 DS Automobiles Italian Open.
World Number Two Rory McIlroy, reigning U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, Major winner and home hero Francesco Molinari and 2020 Ryder Cup stars Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton are all in the Italian capital alongside Donald and Vice Captains Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari.
If you have not done so already, you can sign up now to the official Fantasy game of the DP World Tour and submit your six-man team before round one on Thursday as the ‘September Challenge’, providing fans the opportunity to win some great prizes, continues: https://fantasy.dpworldtour.com.
Favourite - Rory McIlroy
There is no better place to start than with the man who was a roll away from a play-off at last week's BMW PGA Championship. The Northern Irishman is enjoying a remarkable 2022, finishing second, third, fifth and eighth in the Major Championships and claiming two wins on the PGA TOUR en route to a record third FedEx Cup title. Add in a top three in Dubai and it is little surprise he also currently tops the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. This is his first appearance at this event but that is little reason to keep him out of your team. He could well have qualified for our next section too, but he is not the only man playing well on Tour right now.......
Form horse - Eddie Pepperell
The Englishman's career has often been a rollercoaster but he appears to be on the up once again after a good few weeks. After graduating from the European Challenge Tour in 2012, he established himself on Tour but lost his card by a whisker in 2016 before duly earning it straight back at the Qualifying School. He claimed two wins in 2018 but this season found himself without full playing privileges and missed nine of his first 12 cuts. He has not finished outside the top 35 in his last six starts, however, and with three top 12s including a runner-up in that time, he is once again getting a taste for the right end of the leaderboard.
Wild card - Fabrizio Zanotti
One of the DP World Tour's most consistent performers for more than a decade, Zanotti does not look to be a long way from win number three. He has missed just two cuts this season, with two top tens putting him on course for a potential career-high finish in the Rankings. He has yet to truly contend at the top of the leaderboard on a Sunday in 2022 but after a fine Rolex Series showing last week, this could be his time.
