Italian Open
Guido Migliozzi birdied two of his last three holes after four bogeys in the six holes after the turn to force a three-way playoff with Joe Dean and Marcus Kinhult, winning the second hole to win the KLM Open in Amsterdam last weekend at 35/1. Migliozzi and Dean also qualified for next month's Open at Royal Troon.
Now Migliozzi (this week 22/1) will return to his home country for his national open, as the Italian Open will this year move from the Marco Simeone Stadium in Rome, where last year's Ryder Cup was held, to the seaside resort of Cervia on the Adriatic Riviera.
Patrick Reed (12/1) has the shortest odds but finished only 32nd at LIV Nashville last week.
Tom McKibbin (16/1) fought back last week in Sunday's round, shooting 65 to finish sixth.
At 18/1 are Lauri Kanter and Bernd Weisberg, who finished 1-2 respectively at the European Open in Hamburg, Germany four weeks ago.
course
Located in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, Adriatic Golf Club Cervia has three different nine-hole golf courses (yellow, red and blue). The 18 holes used in this tournament are the yellow front nine, which is known as a Scottish links-style course, and the red back nine, which is more like a pine forest. The two different nine-hole courses will be combined into a 6,965-yard par 70 course.
Despite being a seaside resort, the course is located inland and not directly adjacent to the Adriatic Sea.
The fairways are planted with Bermuda grass, and the greens are also Bermuda grass, but it is seeded with ryegrass.
choose
Matthew Jordan 30/1
Jordan is a seasoned amateur still seeking his first DP World Tour title. Ironically, his only professional victory came five years ago this week on the Italian Challenge Tour.
The Englishman finished 13th or better three times in a row (T-5 at the Soudal Open, T-13 at the European Open, T-8 at the Scandinavian Mix). Jordan finished first, first and third in greens in regulation in those three tournaments, a stroke that should come in handy here as the course seems a bit tight, especially on the back nine.
This season, he ranks eighth on the DP World Tour in tee-to-green, ninth in drives gained off the tee, 12th in greens in regulation and 20th in approach shots gained.
Matteo Manassero 40/1
Manassero will try to do his part in Italy’s run of consecutive DP World Tour titles this week, having finished T-7 last week in the Netherlands while ranking second in Strokes Gained to Greens, third in Greens in Regulation, sixth in Strokes Gained off the Tee and sixth in Strokes Gained Around Greens.
The former World Amateur broke a nearly 11-year winless streak on the DP World Tour (winner on the Challenge Tour in 2023) at the Jonsson Overalls Open in South Africa this spring.
He continued his good form from the spring, taking the first-round lead twice in the last six games.
Culham Hill 45/1
Hill didn’t win the Scandinavian Mix three weeks ago, but he was tied for the lowest score in the men’s category with Sebastian Soderberg, who also helped the team lose an eight-shot lead.
Hill's form continues to improve, and he has already finished in the top 20 at the Soderberg Open in Belgium (T-18) and the European Open in Germany (T-13) before entering the aforementioned Scandinavian mixed event.
The Scot's short game has been superb this year, as he ranked fifth in scramble and 12th in strokes gained putting.
Hoshino Rikuya 60/1
Hoshino won his first DP World Tour title at the Qatar Masters earlier this year.
He had a slight dip in form but bounced back last week at the KLM Open in the Netherlands, finishing in the top 10, leading in Strokes Gained to Greens and third in Approach Gained. Unfortunately, he finished 70th out of 74 qualifiers in Strokes Gained Putting.
Andy Sullivan 70/1
Sullivan has three top-four finishes this season, including a tie for third at the Scandinavian Mix three weeks ago.
The Englishman ranks seventh on the DP World Tour in driving accuracy and first in putts per round (27.57). His precise driving and excellent short game could see him return to the winner’s circle for the first time since 2020.
