Golf Club Margara is the venue for the 2021 Ladies Italian Open this week – the second event of this season’s LET schedule.
It’s been seven years since the Tour last came to Italy and all eyes will be on Piedmont to see who will come out on top.
We reflect on the past three editions of the tournament…
2009 – Skarpnord defeats Davies in Playoff
Norway’s Marianne Skarpnord beat England’s Laura Davies by rolling in a six-foot birdie putt at the third playoff hole to triumph at the Carta Si Ladies Italian Open in Milan.
The duo were joint-leaders at the end of the second round and both carded a 69 to finish on 12-under-par (204) at Golf Club Le Rovedine, but it was Skarpnord who had the momentum having finished her final round with an eagle and the Norwegian prevailed.
Speaking about her win, she said: “I played good on the back nine every day. Petter (my caddie) said when we turned at the ninth and I was three over he said, ‘Okay the back nine is your host; we can play great there’. I like the holes and I did. It means a lot.”
2011 – Kim secures maiden LET title
The Sicilian Ladies Italian Open, which was played at Il Picciolo Golf Club in Castiglione di Sicilia, was won by Christina Kim as she lifted her maiden LET trophy.
The American was one of five players under par for the day in the final round and a two-under-par of 70 was enough to clinch victory in cold and blustery conditions, with Italian Guilia Sergas finishing four strokes behind in second place.
Commenting on her win, Kim said: “It was a really difficult day today and the golf course was showing all of its teeth with the rain, the wind, the thunder, the volcano, everything. It’s just such an incredible feeling right now. I’m just so happy and the last two holes were proving to be very difficult for me but thankfully I came out on top and I’m just so grateful. I had an incredible caddie with me this week in Raf Armand and everything has been perfect.”
2014 – Parker triumphs in Perugia
England’s Florentyna Parker is the last winner of the Ladies Italian Open having triumphed by one shot at Perugia Club in 2014.
An albatross on the par-five 14th hole made all the difference as Parker shot a four-under-par 68 on the final day to finish one stroke ahead of compatriot Holly Clyburn.
Speaking about her win and albatross at the time, she said: “It’s been too long. My grandpa is Italian so it was actually the perfect week. My mum (who was caddying) said, ‘You need to make a birdie,’ and I holed the shot, so I said, ‘Are you happy now?’ I was three under for three days on that hole which is good. I have some champagne left over from my birthday last week and I kept saying, ‘we need to drink it,’ and so I will!”
