European Tour in Milan for Italian Open
IN: News | European PGA | Telecom Italia Open (2007) | by Bruce Young | 02 May 2007
As the European Tour trips its way around the Mediterranean, its next stop is Milan in the north of Italy for this week’s Telekom Italia Open (Italian Open) at the Castello di Tolcinasco G & CC.
The Arnold Palmer designed layout was built in 1993 and is being used for the fourth time in the hosting of this event.
The defending champion is the local golfer Francesco Molinari who will look to continue the high that Italian golf is on at present following the first ever win last week by an Italian golfer on the LPGA Tour. Silvia Cavalerri won the Corona Championship in Mexico beating the world number one, Lorena Ochoa, in the process. Molinari is the brother of Edoardo Molinari who was a recent winner of the US Amateur Championship so things are very much looking up for golf in Italy.
Last year Molinari beat Andres Hansen and Jarmo Sandelin by four shots becoming the first Italian winner of the event in 26 years. Graeme McDowell and Steve Webster are the two other winners of this event on this golf course.
The European Tour’s most recent winners and its two hottest players in recent weeks, Charl Schwartzel and Raphael Jacquelin command favouritism for the event and so they should but it might just be that Welshman Bradley Dredge will give them a run for their money this week.
Dredge finished runner up to Steve Webster in 2005 and last year was 6th. He has played well enough of late including when making the cut at the Masters to be a factor on a golf course which he obviously enjoys. He has played only six events this year but is on the verge of another victory.
Schwartzel further confirmed his immense promise in his win last week in Spain while Jacquelin confirmed some good recent form with a win at the BMW Asian Open two weeks ago.
Tom Lehman is in the field and as a player good enough to finish 5th at Bay Hill recently he must be considered although he has missed the cut in his last two USPGA Tour events.
Fransesco Molinari has played well since his win last year putting together several top ten finishes in some very good events in that time. He will have the demands of being Italy’s best hope this week but it did not seem to bother him last year.
Soren Kjeldsen finished 4th in the event last year and at his last start finished runner up to Jacquelin at the BMW Asian Open and I’ll give Alejandro Canizares one more chance to show us how good he is.
Australasia is represented by Brett Rumford, David Bransdon, Marcus Fraser, Mathew Millar, Wade Ormsby, Terry Price, Matthew Zions and Steve Alker.
