PGAs Champions Trophy of Europe

PGAs Champions Trophy of Europe

Italy to Stage ‘Champion of Champions’ Tournament for three years
The PGAs of Europe ‘endorse and support’ a new ground-breaking initiative by the PGA of Italy to stage a ‘Champion of Champions’ tournament for European Member PGAs at Golf Club Lignano, Italy,

Entitled The PGAs Champions Trophy of Europe the 54-hole, €72,000 tournament, has been hosted and sponsored by Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia for the purpose of raising the profile of golf and other tourist attractions in their delightful coastal region.

Each of the 30 member countries, who are actually located in Europe, has been invited to nominate their Order of Merit leader or national PGA title-holder to play in this inaugural event and thereby be crowned as the continent’s official Champion of Champions.

It is the first tournament of its kind to be staged in Europe, and one which seems assured to become a highly popular and prestigious event, also the ground-breaking ‘champion of champions’ concept adds a tempting incentive to each of the PGAs own national championship by offering the opportunity to go forward to Italy, and bid for this prestigious European crown. “We would like to compliment the PGA of Italy for their foresight in introducing such a worthwhile and attractive championship to the annual schedule for our Full Members,” said Ian Randell, the PGAs of Europe Chief Executive. “The PGA of Italy’s intention is for it to be an on-going, annual event and we will be delighted to support them in this aim with administration and promotion. “We are indebted to the PGA of Italy, Turismo FVG and Lignano Golf Club for working together and arrange an event appreciated by our membership.”

Championship Opens New Vistas for Golf Tourism in Italy Friuli Venezia Giulia ‘a golf destination waiting to be discovered’
The inaugural PGAs Champions Trophy of Europe, staged at Lignano GC on September 18-21, is a pioneering tournament to open up new horizons for golf in a captivating yet not fully discovered region of Italy.

The completely natural and unspoiled Friuli Venezia region with its 130 kilometers of coast and majestic alpine summits, boasts seven golf courses within reach of either Trieste or Venice airports. As a centre for either golf, or tourism, or both, the FVG area is an international holiday destination waiting to explode with its proximity to both Slovenia and Austria, two countries where golf is also expanding amidst their own scenic delights.

The innovative ‘champion of champions’ style event, comprising either the PGA champion or Order of Merit winner from each of The PGAs of Europe’s Full Member countries, featured 21 of the top club and teaching pros from across the entire continent. With its €72,000 prize fund, the new tournament on The PGAs of Europe schedule will increasingly become a tempting added incentive for all of the PGA professionals playing in their own national events with the bonus it offers of possibly a visit to this attractive destination.

Play your golf on the edge of the seashore… or on the rolling hills behind…tread the fairways surrounded by a lagoon… or with the backdrop of the majestic Alps. All these scenarios are possible in this Italian sun spot. The cities of Friuli Venezia Giulia are the meeting points of populations, cultures and religions where the Italian, Slav and Germanic races, and their gastronomic variations, fuse into one. Depending on the zone, one can taste delicacies of Austrian or Slav origin, sample Mediterranean cuisine with freshly-caught fish and crustaceans or savour the tasty and genuine mountain cookery and the wines of eight guaranteed vintage districts (DOC certification). Here, 1700 companies produce 100 million bottles a year, with names known throughout the world and two real gems – the Ramandolo and the Picolit. It is a unique land for combining one’s love of sport with that of art, culture and oeno-gastronomy, and with astoundingly beautiful natural landscapes.
Friuli Venezia Giulia is a region where one can play golf all year. 

How Oskar the Swede Outgunned The Canon…
An enthralling third and final round shoot-out with the home favourite, EMANUELE CANONICA, ended with Sweden’s OSKAR HENNINGSSON being crowned as the first ‘champion-of-champions’ among European PGAs, at Lignano, Italy.

Challenge Tour player, Oskar, ultimately outgunned his European Tour rival by a slender one-shot margin to become the first winner of the inaugural €72,000 event, which is sponsored by Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia for national PGA champions or Order of Merit winners from PGAs of Europe full member countries.

Devised and presented by the PGA of Italy, supported by Turismo Friuli Venezia Giulia and recognised by The PGAs of Europe, the innovative, pioneering PGAs Champions Trophy of Europe proved to be not only a resounding success but one that could become a popular annual occasion. A competition that was highlighted by low-scoring rounds from the field comprised of regular tournament players, club and teaching professionals, and young rising stars, was ideally poised for the final 18 of the 54 holes when Henningsson and Canonica were level on nine-under-par 133.

The Swede, whose ambition is to acquire his full European Tour card, had set the championship alight on opening day with an eight-under-par 63 for a four-shot lead on ‘The Canon’, thus known for his prodigious driving prowess. However, the end of Day 2 saw the deficit blown away as the Swede’s 70 was outstripped by Canonica’s 66 and the pre-event favourite from the host nation, on a brief break between European Tour events, looked set to confirm this status. By the turn Canonica had holed four birdies to Henningsson’s three to take an outright lead for the first time but his supremacy proved to be short-lived when he found the water at the 12th and followed this up with another dropped shot at 13 as the Swede continued to demonstrate his Scandinavian calm.

Finally the new enviable title, a proud one for any PGA professional’s CV, slipped away from the Italian when a wayward drive cost him a double-bogey at the 16th and the championship, along with a cheque for €15,000, went to Sweden by virtue of a twelve-underpar total of 201.

A disappointed Canonica commented: “I had not lost the tournament for 16 holes, until my double-bogey. That moment changed the game. Henningsson is certainly a good player. He always maintained his calm and took advantage of my mistakes.”

“Great title, lovely place…” says the champion of champions
 “It feels great for me being the first winner of this new championship… and to win it in such a beautiful place as Lignano,” enthused a delighted Swede, Oskar Henningsson, after his blow-for-blow battle to become the first PGAs Champion of Europe.

“It is also the first international title I have ever won, so that was a new, and very pleasant, experience for me,” he added as he proudly took the new trophy, and a cheque for €15,000 from the €72,000 prize fund from Italy back to his club, Gränna GK, approximately 30km north of Jönköping.

The Challenge Tour player, who recently won the Q-School first stage at Chart Hills, UK, earned his reward by narrowly overcoming the pre-event favourite, Emanuele Canonica of the host nation, for whom disaster struck at the 52nd of the 54-hole championship.

“It was a great week at Lignano Golf Club,” Henningsson added. “Of course, it was also extra satisfying to beat Mr Canonica, on his own home soil, and with him being the favourite to win the title!

“My confidence was already given a boost when I managed to win the first stage of the Q-School so I knew that I was in good shape to fight for the title. During this season, my overall goal has been to achieve my full European Tour card so I haven’t played too many tournaments in order to get in good shape for this important time.

“So far, it is working out well…”

 For the table of results, click here…