The Road to Mallorca heads to Italy for the Italian Challenge at Margara Golf Club this week. Here’s what you need to know before the action gets under way on Thursday…
Large prize fund
There is a €300,000 prize fund available at the Italian Challenge, which is the biggest European Challenge Tour prize pool this season excluding the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A. This week gives players the chance to make a significant climb up the Road to Mallorca Rankings to secure a top 20 finish and therefore European Tour playing rights for the 2022 season.
Historic venue
Margara Golf Club was founded in 1972 by Dr. Glauco Lolli Ghetti and has since hosted 22 Challenge Tour events, an Italian Ladies Open and several Italian National Championships. The most recent Challenge Tour event to be hosted at Magara was the 2008 Margara Diehl-Ako Platinum Open which was won by three-time Challenge Tour winner Taco Remkes. The last Italian to win a Challenge Tour event at Magara was Alberto Binaghi who triumphed in 1999 at the San Paolo Vita Open. Local boys in the field this week, including Lorenzo Scalise and Matteo Manassero, will be looking to replicate Italian success in Magara at this week’s Italian Challenge.
Stunning resort
The venue is a golfer’s paradise with two 18 hole championship courses, a covered grass driving range and two short game areas which include a bunker and large practice green. Golfers can relax away from the course using the fitness area, sauna, swimming pool and a synthetic outdoor tennis court. There is also a restaurant inside the clubhouse offering traditional Piedmontese dishes.
The Glauco Lolli Ghetti 18 hole course has a parkland feel to it as trees surround the wide fairways that that extend over the rolling hills of Monferrato and the greens provide a tough test for the highest calibre of golfer. The final stretch must be treated with respect or the four difficult holes from 15 - 18 can quickly ruin a scorecard.
Host to Ladies European Tour event
Magara Golf Club hosted the Ladies Italian Open earlier this year, which saw French amateur Lucie Malchirand triumph. The 18-year-old birdied the last two holes to finish seven under par and claim victory in just her second Ladies European Tour event. The players competed for a prize fund of €200,000 as the Ladies Italian Open returned to the Ladies European Tour schedule for the first time in seven years.
