The DP World Tour visits Ryder Cup venue Marco Simone Golf & Country Club this week as Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick along with World Number Ten Viktor Hovland join a host of Team Europe hopefuls looking to make an impression in front of Captain Luke Donald at the 79th edition of the DS Automobiles Italian Open. Here are your five things to know.
Headline acts
With the opportunity to play competitively at next year’s Ryder Cup venue, which has undergone a revamp in the last two years, it is unsurprising that this week’s event boasts a stellar field. Four-time Major Champion McIlroy will make his first appearance in Italy as he seeks to maintain his excellent form, which has seen him finish third at The Open Championship in July and then win the TOUR Championship to claim the FedExCup for a record third time last month. The Northern Irishman, who leads the DP World Tour Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, will be joined by U.S. Open Champion Fitzpatrick and fellow international stars Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton, who won the third of his six Tour titles at the Italian Open in 2017. “It’s the first time I have played in Italy, and I’ve heard the Italian fans are very passionate, so I’m excited to get out there and experience a new challenge,” said McIlroy.
Ryder Cup focus
Italy will become the seventh country to host the Ryder Cup when it stages the 44th edition at Marco Simone - part of the European Tour Destinations network - on the outskirts of Rome from September 25 – October 1, 2023. Italy’s national open marks the second event in the Ryder Cup qualification process, during which the three leading players on the European Points List followed by the three leading players on the World Points List will secure their spots at the biennial contest. Donald will then select a further six Captain’s Picks to complete his 12-man team to face the United States. With Donald joined in the Eternal City this week by vice captains Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari, there will be several players looking to prove their credentials and secure vital points in the 12-month campaign leading up to Rome next September.
Nicolai Højgaard returns to scene of maiden triumph
Last year’s edition – the second time Marco Simone had hosted Italy’s national open having previously done so in 1994 – saw Nicolai Højgaard create history as he won his first DP World Tour title. A week after twin brother Rasmus had won his third title at the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, Nicolai secured his first victory with a birdie at the 18th to finish one shot ahead of Tommy Fleetwood and Adrian Meronk. The result saw the Højgaards become the first brothers to win back-to-back events on Tour. Nicolai, who was the last player to receive an invitation to the event, revealed Rasmus’ successes had spurred him on to make his breakthrough, with the pair able to celebrate together on the 18th green. The victory was part of a strong end to the 2021 season as he went on to finish runner-up at the Portugal Masters and tied fourth at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, helping him close out the season eighth on the season-long rankings. Since then, the 21-year-old has gone to win his second Tour title with a four-shot victory at the Ras al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital in February.
Three sets of brothers
The Højgaards will not be the only pair of brothers in the field this week. As was the case last year, they will be joined by Francesco and Edoardo Molinari – two of the most recognisable brothers in world golf. Also teeing it up in Italy will be Matt Fitzpatrick, runner-up at this event in 2019, and his younger brother Alex, who made his professional debut earlier this year at the Horizon Irish Open following an impressive amateur career which included Walker Cup appearances in 2019 and 2021. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tour in 2022, a breakthrough DP World Tour victory for Alex this week would see the Fitzpatricks become the fifth pair of brothers to have both earned at least one victory. Will a new piece of history be created this year?
Playing in front of home fans
Since the first edition of Italy’s national open in 1925, there have been five different home winners, but Francesco Molinari is the only Italian to have won the event twice since it became part of the Tour in 1972. In holding off Danny Willett to claim a one-shot victory in 2016, a decade after winning in front of his home fans at Castello Tolcinasco in 2006, Molinari also became the first Italian to win any Tour event twice. “There are so many reasons to be excited for the Italian Open,” said Molinari. “It is a tournament that I love and have had success at in the past, that is something everyone knows, but for myself and the other Italian players, we want to showcase Marco Simone and everything Rome has to offer.” Also teeing it up among a host of home hopes will be two-time Tour winners Guido Migliozzi and Renato Paratore. In addition, Italy’s World Amateur Championship-winning team members Filippo Celli, who won the Silver Medal at The 150th Open, and Marco Florioli will be looking to make an impression.
