Out of the Rough: Italian Open (2025)

The 82nd edition of the storied Italian Open is upon us as the DP World Tour returns from a two-week hiatus for the U.S. Open.

This is a nomadic event that will be played at a different golf course for the third consecutive season.

Last year, the event was held at the Adriatic Golf Club Cervia and prior to that, was held at the 2023 Ryder Cup venue, Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.

This year, the Argentario Golf Club in Monte Argentario will play host for the very first time.

This venue, also known as PGA National Italy, has been Italy’s only PGA-licensed golf facility since 2019.

As previously mentioned, this week marks the penultimate event of the Tour’s ‘European Swing’ which currently sees Kristoffer Reitan leading the way for the $200,00 swing-leading prize fund.

The Field

Marcel Siem won last year’s edition of the Italian Open at Adriatic, holding off Tom McKibbin in a playoff. He’ll return this year to defend his title.

McKibbin had finished his round hours before Siem and playing partner Antoine Rozner entered the club house. McKibbin’s caddy was just about to board a train and leave the area, assuming McKibbin had no chance in winning or making it to a playoff when he got the call to return to the golf course.

Connor Syme, the latest winner on the DP World Tour this season, winning the KLM Open two weeks back, will also be teeing it up this week in hopes of winning back-to-back tournaments.

Other notable golfers teeing it up this week include John Parry, Reitan, Daniel Hillier, Martin Couvra, Shaun Norris, Marco Penge, Keita Nakajima, Jayden Schaper and Eugenio Chacarra.

This has been an event where some of the biggest names of this Tour have won, especially as of late. Adrian Meronk was the winner in 2023, Robert MacIntyre in 2022 and Nicolai Hojgaard in 2021, all of which received PGA Tour Cards (Meronk opted for LIV.)

The Course

The Argentario Golf Club in Monte Argentario plays as a Par-71 at roughly 6,800 yards.

Opened in 2006, the course was designed by David Mezzacane and professional golfer Baldovino Dassu as the holes were shaped by Brian Jorgensen.

It weaves its way in-and-out of natural Mediterranean vegetation and ancient olive groves.

The course itself is set in a protected natural area. It too offers breath-taking views of the nearby Orbetello Lagoon, the sea and the hillside.

A large amount of earth was moved to create this golf course which was once used as the promontory’s waste dumb. 

Tens-of-thousands of indigenous trees and shrubs were planted along the course upon its opening.

The course is organically managed as only natural fertilisers and pesticides are used. It is one of only two Italian golf clubs to receive AgriCert status.

As of the course itself, off-the-tee, golfers will be faced with plunging fairways that go both up-and-down.

The fairways too are protected by the aforementioned indigenous trees, vegetation and on multiple-holes, water.

These fairways lead to small greens that are well-guarded.

The greens are small-in-size greens are often sloped and reports suggest that they are the driving factor in the difficulty of this golf-course.

The final three-holes promise to offer dramatics down-the-stretch. 

The par-four 16th has water in play on the entirety of the left side of the hole. The par-three 17th measures nearly 230 yards. The 17th green is guarded by water on the left and bunkers on the right. The green of the par-five 18th has water guarding it to the right. 

Reports suggest that a handful of European based professionals were asked to play this course once it opened. Their scores were so bad that the staff had to take an oath of secrecy not to disclose their scores. Of course, that is all speculation but there may be some validity to that.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is a zero-percent chance of precipitation across all four days this week. Temperatures will begin at 80-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 83-degrees on Saturday and falling to 82-degrees on Sunday. Winds will begin at eight miles-per-hour on Thursday before jumping to 14 miles-per-hour on Friday. Saturday is currently calling for ten miles-per-hour winds and Sunday nine miles-per-hour. In all, a perfect four days for golf.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Accuracy

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Scrambling

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Three-Putt Avoidance

• Bogey Avoidance

• Par Five Scoring Average

Betting Card

Keita Nakajima (+3000)

Nakajima has been a mixed bag of results over the last three months, but when he’s on, he’s on. He most recently missed the cut in his last outing at the KLM Open but placed 11th prior at the Austrian Alpine Open. He also missed the cut at the Soudal Open but placed 11th at the Hainan Classic. He missed the cut at the Volvo China Open but was the runner-up at both the Hero Indian Open and Porsche Singapore Classic. In that stretch, he’s yet to miss back-to-back cuts and each cut was followed with a great performance. With that logic, he should be in line for a good week this week (please take that with a grain of salt.) Nakajima is currently tenth on Tour in SG: OTT, 12th in both driving accuracy and three-putt avoidance, 21st in par-five average scoring, 27th in bogey avoidance, 29th in scrambling, 36th in SG: PUTT, 65th in SG: APP, 72nd in sand saves percentage and 82nd in SG: ATG.

Shaun Norris (+5000)

Norris is not someone we have not seen a ton of on the DP World Tour but of golfers with at least six starts this season, no one has a better average finishing placement than him, and it isn’t even close. In six events, he has an average finishing placement of 8.17. We last saw him at the Volvo China Open where he placed 15th. He was the runner-up at the Joburg Open, placed ninth at the South African Open Championship, 16th at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, sixth at the Dubai Desert Classic and won the Alfred Dunhill Championship. On Tour, he is currently first in all of SG: PUTT, three-putt avoidance, bogey avoidance and par-five average scoring. He is also second in SG: ATG, third in scrambling, 20th in sand saves, 72nd in SG: APP, 83rd in driving accuracy and 122nd in SG: OTT. 

John Parry (+5500)

Parry is a guy who continues to offer great value in my opinion. He is currently fourth on Tour in sand saves percentage, fifth in SG: APP, ninth in scrambling, 11th in bogey avoidance, 16th in par-five average scoring, 17th in SG: ATG, 44th in three-putt avoidance, 74th in SG: OTT, 76th in driving accuracy and 82nd in SG: PUTT. He placed 55th in his latest outing at the KLM Open. Prior to that he placed fourth at the Soudal Open, 33rd at the Turkish Airlines Open, 29th at the Hero Indian Open and 36th at the Porsche Singapore Classic. Looking back a bit on the season, he was the runner-up at the Magical Kenya Open, won the AfrAsia Mauritius Open and was the runner-up to Norris at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. 

Edoardo Molinari (+8000)

Molinari has now played each of the last seven events on the DP World Tour (outside of the KLM Open.) He has an average finishing placement of 27th in those seven events. He placed 22nd in his last outing at the Austrian Alpine Open, 49th at the Soudal Open, 24th at the Turkish Airlines Open, sixth at the Hainan Classic, 36th at the Volvo China Open, ninth at the Hero Indian Open and 43rd at the Porsche Singapore Classic. He is currently first on Tour in driving accuracy, second in both scrambling and bogey avoidance, third in SG: PUTT, 39th in SG: ATG, 41st in sand saves percentage, 58th in both three-putt avoidance and par-five average scoring, 71st in SG: OTT and 85th in SG: APP. 

Jacob Skov Olesen (+8000)

Olesen is currently one of my favorite guys on the DP World Tour. I have been on him a bunch this season and backed off over the last few events. Well, I’m back. He is currently 11th on Tour in sand saves percentage, 13th in par-five average scoring, 21st in bogey avoidance, 26th in SG: APP, 38th in driving accuracy, 41st in three-putt avoidance, 57th in SG: PUTT, 58th in SG: ATG and 63rd in SG: OTT. He placed 19th in his last outing at the KLM Open. Prior to that he placed 42nd at the Austrian Alpine Open, 41st at the Soudal Open, 12th at the Turkish Airlines Open, missed the cut at the Hainan Classic, placed eighth at the Volvo China Open, seventh at the Joburg Open and 13th at the Magical Kenya Open.