Matteo Manassero triumphed in the Copenhagen Challenge with 276 (75 64 71 66, -12) strokes after a great final comeback propitiated by a 66 (-6), which allowed him to cancel the six strokes deficit he had from the leader, the Finnish Matias Honkala, then third with 279 (-9), and the South African Casey Jarvis, who arrived at the club house early and had hooked him at the top of the standings on “minus 11”. On the course of the Royal Golf Club (par 72), in Copenhagen in Denmark, to win the Venetian needed a birdie on the 18th hole which arrived on time, sixth of the day in a round without a bogey, in a moment of great competitive tension. And Jarvis, second with 277 (-11), didn’t even have a chance at the playoffs.
Matteo Manassero, statements
“The perfect week” as defined by the champion who 10 years ago triumphed at the Pga Championship in Wentworth “my wife was with me, I was good at keeping calm for four hours in a row. Many things have happened in these years, I have had many negative moments. This is why holding this trophy in my hands means a lot to me”. The president of Federgolf Chimenti was also enthusiastic: “Matteo Manassero’s return to success is great news, one of the ones I most awaited a few months before the Ryder Cup in Rome, an unrepeatable event that will mark an epochal turning point for Italian golf. Manassero is a champion, with innate talent and great maturity. For all these reasons, he will soon be back on the best stages.
Born in Negrar di Valpolicella, in the province of Verona, on 19 April 1993, he began playing golf at the age of 3 and a half at the Villafranca Golf Club. In 1998 he moved to the Gardagolf Country Club of Soiano del Lago (BS) coached by Franco Maestroni; one of the first to notice him and talk about him is the television journalist Germano Mosconi, who became known in the Internet world in the 2000s for his off-air broadcasts while hosting the information programs of the local Telenuovo broadcaster. He currently trains and lives at the Monticello Golf Club (near Como) and is followed by Alberto Binaghi.
In 2009, at the age of 16, he won the British Amateur Championship, one of the two Majors for amateurs. With this victory Matteo establishes the record of youngest winner of the tournament and first Italian, guaranteeing himself the invitation to two Majors: the Open Championship and The Masters.
During the 2009 Open Championship in Turnberry, Matteo finished in 13th place, tied with Francesco Molinari, earning the Silver Medal: the prize awarded to the best amateur in the competition.
On April 9, 2010, at the age of 16 years, 11 months and 22 days, Manassero broke the record of South African Bobby Cole (which stood since 1967), becoming the youngest player to pass The Masters cut, finishing in 36th place .
He turned professional in May 2010 and decided to make his debut at the Italian Open, finishing in the top 30. Later invited to England to play the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, he passed the cut and finished the tournament in 17th place.
On October 24, 2010, Manassero won the Castelló Masters in Spain, becoming the youngest winner of a tournament on the European Tour at 17 years, 6 months and 5 days. The record was previously held by New Zealander Danny Lee, winner of the Johnnie Walker Classic.
On November 30, 2010 he was awarded the title of “Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year” of the European Tour in Wentworth, a recognition given in the past also to Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Sandy Lyle, José María Olazábal and Colin Montgomerie.
In April 2011, a few days after his 18th birthday, he won his second European Tour tournament, winning the Malaysian Open held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club.
On 11 November 2012, he won the Barclays Singapore Open by overcoming the South African Louis Oosthuizen with an eagle on the third hole of the playoffs, thus becoming the first teenager to win 3 tournaments on the European Tour.
On May 26, 2013 he won the prestigious BMW PGA Championship on the Wentworth Club course after a four-hole playoff against Simon Kahn and Marc Warren, thus becoming the youngest winner in the history of the tournament and reaching 25th place in the world order of merit.
At the beginning of January 2014, he changed technical sponsor from Titleist to Callaway.
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