Lowdown: After five years at the Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club near Milan, there’s a change of venue for this year’s Italian Open. The Royal Park I Roveri near Torino will host the tournament. There’s also a new sponsor in the shape of BMW. It’s one of three tournaments on European soil that the carmaker is committed to supporting in 2009. Last year’s Italian Open witnessed super-low scoring with South Africa’s Hennie Otto just outlasting Robert Karlsson and a charging Oliver Wilson to win on an incredible total of -25. Otto will be back to defend his title but will be up against a high-class field that includes last week’s winner Thomas Levet. The charismatic John Daly is also in the line-up as he looks to make an impact on the European Tour. He’s joined on the start-sheet by the man he famously defeated in a playoff for the 1995 Open Championship – Constantino Rocca. Ryder Cup heroes Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke will also be playing in Italy.
Venue: Royal Park I Roveri, Torino, Italy Date: May 7 - 10 Course stats: par 71, 7,222 yards Purse: €1,300,000 Winner: €216,660 Defending champion: Hennie Otto (-25)
TV coverage: Thursday 7th – Live on Sky Sports 2 from 10.30am Friday 8th - Live on Sky Sports 2 from 10.30am Saturday 9th - Live on Sky Sports Xtra from 10.30am Sunday 10th - Live on Sky Sports 3 from 12.30am
Player watch: Thomas Björn – The Dane has begun to show some of his best form in recent weeks and, securing a tie for third in Spain last Sunday will have given him a huge confidence boost. Søren Hansen – Another Danish player who looks to be coming back onto his game. His first round 63 at PGA Catalunya could have been even better had it not been for a double bogey on the first hole. Francesco Molinari – He won this event in 2006 and is on excellent form this season. He could well make it two home Open wins come Sunday afternoon.
Key hole: 18th. The closing hole at any tournament is always the likely site of any drama. But, when the closing hole is a 507-yard par-4, the chances of last-minute swings of fortune are all the more likely.
Skills required: Adapting. This is a course that the players will not know. The men who can figure out its challenges and adapt to the layout most readily will have the best chance of victory.
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Quiz! Can You Name The 13 Golfers Who Made The Cut In All Four Men's Majors in 2024?Two of them won Majors; one did not ever finish inside the top 25 and another's average finishing position was 48th – can you name them and the other nine?
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'I Grew Up Missing Every Green On The Planet... So It Became A Necessity To Become Good At Chipping' – 5 Expert Short Game Tips From The 2018 Masters ChampionPatrick Reed is renowned for being one of the best short game players of his era, with his silky touch around the green helping him to win a first Green Jacket
