After a one year hiatus the Ladies European Tour (LET) returns to Italy this week for the Ladies Italian Open.
Staged at Golf Nazionale just outside Rome between 14-16 June, 132 players from 34 nations will tee up in the 54-hole stroke play event vying for their share of €300,000.
A late addition to the 2024 schedule, this year’s Ladies Italian Open marks its 27th edition and the first time it has been held in Lazio for 17 years.
Last time out it was Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux who claimed a dramatic victory defeating home amateur Alessandra Fanali and England’s Meghan MacLaren in a playoff at Margara Golf Club in Fubine Monferrato.
Unfortunately, Metraux, a recent winner at the Jabra Ladies Open, will not be defending her Italian crown this year. Fanali however, now a professional in her second year on Tour, will be teeing up close to home as she looks to put on a show in front of family and friends. MacLaren meanwhile will also be taking to the fairways at Golf Nazionale hoping to go one better than in 2022.
Elsewhere, Italians are aplenty with nine other home talents joining Fanali. This includes LET stalwart Virginia Elena Carta, still chasing her maiden win on the circuit, as well as PING Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup star Francesca Fiorellini.
One of Fiorellini’s rivals from both competitions, America’s Anna Davis, also comes in as an invitee. The left-handed teenager made headlines in 2022 when she won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at the age of 16.
Two LET winners from 2024 will be in attendance in what promises to be a sun-soaked week close to the nation’s capital. Both are rookies, with Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini and Singapore’s Shannon Tan teeing up looking for more silverware.
Tamburlini is the highest ranked player in the Order of Merit competing this week (the Joburg Ladies Open winner sits fourth in the standings). She will look to close the gap on England’s Bronte Law with the three-time LET winner a late withdrawal.
Aside from the LET Order of Merit, there is plenty on offer in the 14th event of the season as a plethora of stars look to cement their spot at the Paris Olympic Games before qualification ends on June 24. Further details on the exciting event can be found here.
As for this week’s venue, Golf Nazionale, located in Sutri, offers pedigree having hosted the 1991 Men’s World Cup and the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup (for the first two days). A treelined par 72 boasting 6462 metres, this is the first time the venue will host the Ladies Italian Open.
The 54-hole Ladies Italian Open gets underway on Friday morning in San Martino. Follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook – #RaiseOurGame | #LadiesItalianOpen
