Matteo Manassero's rise was one of the most dramatic of this century, but he failed to sustain his record-breaking form and ultimately fell into the golfing wilderness.
Since then, the talented Italian has proven that you simply can't stop a potential great, and he's back in the spotlight again in 2024, when he'll be just 31 years old.
Here are 20 facts you might not know about the DP World Tour pros.
1. Matteo Manassero was born on April 16, 1993 in Negrar, Italy.
2. Manassero started playing golf at the age of three and was later trained by former DP World Tour professional Alberto Binaghi.
3. He improved rapidly and in 2008 he represented Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup.
4. In 2009, he became the youngest ever winner of the Amateur Championship.
5. This earned him exemption into the Open that year, and he was paired with Tom Watson and Sergio Garcia in the first two rounds. He advanced and eventually tied for 13th place to win the silver medal as an amateur.
Manassero playing with Tom Watson at the 2009 Open
(Image source: Getty Images)
6. Manassero capped off a stellar year by finishing atop the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
7. In 2010, records continued to be broken. In April, he became the youngest player to qualify for the Masters at the age of 16 years, 11 months and 22 days. Manassero finished T36 at Augusta National Golf Club (although Guan Tianlang surpassed this finish in 2013).
8. Two weeks before he turned 17, Manassero announced he was turning professional.
9. He joined the European Tour (now the DP World Tour), becoming the second-youngest player in the tour's history after Seve Ballesteros.
10. Manassero made his professional debut at the Italian Open in his native Italy, where he finished tied for 29th.
11. In October of the same year, he won the Castello Costa Azaha Masters at the age of 17 years and 188 days, becoming the youngest champion in the history of the Tour de France, breaking another record.
Manacero won the Castello Masters Costa Azahar at the age of 17
(Image source: Getty Images)
12. Additionally, in 2010, he was named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.
13. In 2011, two days before he turned 18, he won the Maybank Malaysia Open, and in November 2012, while still a teenager, he defeated Louis Oosthuizen to win the Barclays Singapore Open.
14. In May 2013, Manassero won the tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, breaking another record as he became the youngest winner at the age of 20.
15. That win secured him a spot on the tour for the next five years, and before long he reached a career-high No. 25 in the world.
16. Manassero's game then entered a long period of decline, and his next professional victory did not come until September 2020, when he won the Tuscan Alps Open on the Development Alps Tour.
17. Three years later, he won twice on the Challenge Tour and returns to the DP World Tour in 2024.
18. Manassero's wife, Francesca, caddied for him both times.
19. Manassero won again 3,942 days later at the Johnson Overalls Open, shooting a career-low 61 in the second round.
Matteo Manesero wins his first DP World Tour title since 2013 at the Jonsson Workwear Open
(Image source: Getty Images)
20. In June of the same year, Manassero qualified for the men's singles competition at the Paris Olympics.
