The Road to Mallorca heads to Italy this week, for the Italian Challenge Open, taking place at Golf Nazionale just 40 minutes from Rome. Here’s all you need to know…
Golf Nazionale
Golf Nazionale plays host to the HotelPlanner Tour for a third time this week and does so as one of the finest golf courses in continental Europe and one of the most challenging courses in Italy.
Located near the city of Rome, the par 72 parkland layout follows the natural undulations of the hilly terrain, providing a true test of golf for the highest calibre of golfer due to the deep rough, undulating greens, water features and numerous strategically placed bunkers.
Golf Nazionale is also the home of the Italian Golf Federation’s technical centre, and it was the host venue for the first two days of the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup.
This week will be the HotelPlanner Tour’s third time at Golf Nazionale after it featured in 2022 and 2023.
Crucial week
The Italian Challenge Open comes at a vital time on the 2025 Road to Mallorca, with all 156 players in the field vying for Ranking points. It marks week 26 of 29 on the season-long schedule, and with just four events remaining, there is all to play for.
Following this week in Italy, the leading 68 players in the Rankings will remain in contention for promotion to the DP World Tour and will travel to China in two weeks’ time for back-to-back tournaments in Asia. From there, the leading 45 players will then tee it up in the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A.
With 320 Ranking points on offer in Italy, a strong week for any player will ensure they prolong their season through to China and possibly beyond. It’s crunch time.
A tournament rich in history
The Italian Challenge Open has provided the HotelPlanner Tour with several memorable moments through the years, and three home winners.
The most recent of those came when Golf Nazionale last played host, with Matteo Manassero delighting the home crowd, as he secured an emotional three-stroke victory that all-but secured his return to the DP World Tour. With that win, he joined 2023 European Ryder Cup Vice Captain, Edoardo Molinari, and Matteo Delpodio, who triumphed in 2009 and 2015 respectively.
Just last year, John Parry earned a third win of the season with a one-stroke victory in Italy, a result that secured his automatic promotion to the DP World Tour. The Englishman has since gone on to win on the DP World Tour for a second time in his career and currently sits eighth on the Race to Dubai.
To date, Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia is the only player to win the event twice, doing so for the first time in 2014 before he added a second title seven years later in 2021.
