Three Masters champions: Patrick Reed, Danny Willett and Angel Cabrera. In addition, eight of the top nine players on the DP World Tour are Italian, from Matteo Manassero to Guido Migliozzi, both of whom represented Italy in the men's individual event at the Paris Olympics.
These are just some of the champions participating in the 81st Italian Open, organized by the Emilia-Romagna Region and scheduled for June 27-30, while the Rolex Pro-Am will be held on Wednesday, June 26 at the Adriatic Golf Club in Cervia (Ravenna).
The event was announced today at the “Sala Polifunzionale” of the Emilia-Romagna Region, in the presence of the President Stefano Bonaccini, the Assessor of Transport, Infrastructure, Tourism and Commerce Andrea Corsini and the President of Federgolf, Franco Chimenti.
Italian Open, schedule
The tournament features 156 players, 72 holes (18 holes per day) and a total prize pool of $3,250,000. Entry is free (registration required at www.openditaliagolf.eu). This is a major initiative of the Italian Golf Federation in partnership with official consultant Infront, following the huge success of the Italian Ryder Cup.
If they have not yet qualified, the top two players will qualify for the fourth Grand Slam, The Open Championship, in 2024, which will be held in Scotland from July 18 to 21. In addition, the Italian Open Village will also display the “claret jug”, the iconic trophy of the British Open, the oldest Grand Slam in golf history.
Italy’s top golf tournament returns to Emilia-Romagna 31 years after it was won by New Zealander Greg Turner in 1993 at the Modena Golf Country Club. At the same time, Emilia-Romagna will host two major international events in the same period, including three stages of the Tour de France.
The 111th Tour de France will kick off on June 29 with the Florence-Rimini stage, followed by Cesenatico-Bologna on June 30 and Piacenza-Turin on July 1, paying tribute to cycling legends Gino Bartali, Marco Pantani and Fausto Coppi.
This sporting event underlines Emilia-Romagna's reputation as a sports valley. Three Masters champions, a host of Italian talent, led by Manassero and Migliozzi, two Italians who have qualified for the Paris Olympics – these are the expected competitors for the 81st Italian Open, hosted by Emilia-Romagna.
Patrick Reed, known as “Captain America” for his heroics at the 2014, 2016 and 2018 Ryder Cups, will be one of the stars of the tournament, having won the Masters in 2018. He will move to LIV Golf, the Arabian Premier League, in 2022, and has nine wins on the PGA Tour (including two World Golf Championships).
Also donning the green jacket at Augusta are Britain’s Danny Willett (8-time DP World Tour champion, 2016) and Argentina’s Angel Cabrera (2007 and 2009, U.S. Open champion). While Reed and Willett remain standouts on the green, the Open is a new opportunity for Cabrera after years of challenges.
Preparing to fly to Paris for their second Olympic Games are Manassero and Migliozzi, who will first aim to win the title in Cervia. Along with them are other reliable Italian talents such as Edoardo Molinari (vice-captain of the European team at the 2023 Rome Ryder Cup and the 2025 New York Ryder Cup), Francesco Laporta, Renato Parlatore, Andrea Pavan, Filippo Celli and Lorenzo Scalise.
Format and Prize Money. The Rolex Pro-Am precedes the Challenge Tournament – the tournament will be played over 72 holes. After the first two rounds, the top 65 players and those tied for 65th place will compete for the championship.
The total purse is $3,250,000, of which $552,500 will go to the winner. The Challenge will be preceded by the Rolex Pro-Am Championship on Wednesday, June 26.
