The 75th Italian Open takes place this week at Gardagolf Country Club, located on the edge of the beautiful Lake Garda. Ahead of the second Rolex Series event of the season, europeantour.com takes a numerical look back at the history of the tournament.
25– There have been 25 different Italian Open venues, including this week’s in Brescia, since the tournament’s inception in 1925.
7– No course has hosted the event more than Golf Club Monticello since it joined the European Tour International Golf Schedule in 1972. The course, located in northern Italy, has played host seven times in the last 46 years, with the most recent edition held there in 1992.
2– Gardagolf Country Club has hosted the event twice previously, in 1997 and 2003. Bernhard Langer and Mathias Grönberg won the respective tournaments.
4– Auguste Boyer (1926, 1928, 1930 and 1931) and Flory Van Donck (1938, 1947, 1953 and 1955) have both won the Italian Open four times, more than anyone else.
25– Hennie Otto holds the record the best score to par, after the South African finished on 25 under in his 2008 victory in Milan.
16– Francesco Molinari became the first Italian winner of the tournament in 16 years when won in 2006.
6– There have been six home winners of the tournament in total – Francesco Pasquali (1925), Aldo Casera (1948), Ugo Grappasonni (1950 and 1954), Baldovino Dassú (1976), Massimo Mannelli (1980) and Molinari (2006 and 2016).
8– Since 1972, Dassú possesses the largest margin of victory, eight strokes clear of Carl Mason and Manuel Piñero.
500– Grégory Havret will be making his 500th European Tour appearance this week.
2001– By coincidence, Havret won his first of three titles at 2001 Italian Open.
81- When Francesco Molinari won in 2016, he equalled a longstanding record. His aggregate score of 262 tied Percy Alliss' total, set in 1935, 81 years previously.
44- Billy Casper is the oldest winner of the event at 44 years.
8- Eight former Major Champions have won this event - Sir Henry Cotton (1936), Peter Thomson (1959), Tony Jacklin (1973), Billy Casper (1975), Bernhard Langer (1983, 97), Sandy Lyle (1984, 92), Greg Norman (1988) and Graeme McDowell
