Chervo Golf Club, Brescia, Italy. Picture: European Tour
The Chervò Golf Club, established in 2008, in San Vigilio di Pozzolengo, Brescia, will be the host venue for this year’s Italian Open from October 22-25. The venue, next to Lake Garda, will host the prestigious tournament for the first time as the Italian Open marks its 77th edition.
Meanwhile, the European Tour in conjunction with Kenya Open Golf Limited, today also confirmed the Magical Kenya Open, scheduled to take place from November 12-15 at Karen Country Club, has been cancelled.
The tournament will instead be part of the European Tour’s schedule in 2021, returning to a March date which has been tradition since the first Kenya Open Championship in 1967.
First played in 1925, the Italian Open has been an ever-present on the European Tour’s schedule since the Tour’s inception in 1972. Its list of past champions includes Major Champions Tony Jacklin (1973), Billy Casper (1975), Bernhard Langer (1983 and 1997), Sandy Lyle (1984 and 1992), Greg Norman (1988), Graeme McDowell (2004) and home favourite Francesco Molinari (2006 and, 2016).
This year’s tournament will have a prize fund of €1million and will take place after the European Tour’s four-week autumn stretch on UK soil, before the Tour then heads to Cyprus for the first time for two consecutive events.
Franco Chimenti, Federazione Italiana Golf (FIG) President and CONI Vice President, made the announcement following his re-election for a sixth term as FIG President earlier this week.
He said: “Despite the long lockdown, the operational team of FIG has never stopped. Our focus has always been on Italian golf in the present and into the future, looking for solutions to the problems we faced during these times of social distancing, leveraging our creativity whilst still respecting the rules. We are looking forward to this international showcase event as we head towards hosting The Ryder Cup in 2023. Italian golf doesn’t stop. We focus on today and tomorrow.”
