Need yet another demonstration that golf is a sport in which you can be competitive when you’re young and when you’re (almost) old? Then you can look at the leaderboard of the Italian Open currently underway at the Adriatic in Cervia. At the end of the third round, there is a poker of athletes from all over the world and of all ages in the lead. There is a German, a Frenchman, an Indian and a Dane. In order of age, from oldest to youngest, they are Marcel Siem, Antoine Rozner, Shubhankar Sharma and Sebastian Friedrichsen. The first is 43, the second is 31, the third is 27 and the fourth is 21. The first three have already won on the DPWorld Tour, they are used to doing well, they have experience and are cool-headed. The Dane is improving. They are at -10. Behind this group there are many and among them, just two strokes away, also a young, nice, smiling Italian. One that no one expected to see there because he doesn’t even have the card to play on the DPWorld, but he is in Cervia only thanks to an invitation from the federation that assigned him one of the places reserved for local players. Gregorio De Leo, 24 years old, from Biella, three victories on the Alps Tour, a third place on the Challenge, some rare appearances on the DPWorld. In Cervia he is the best placed Italian, sixth, with three laps always improving (72, 69, 68: -8). Unlike Sansone, whose haircut had taken away all his strength, De Leo did the opposite. He was famous for his thick hair, often gathered in a ponytail that peeked out from his hat. Now he has said enough and jokes about it: “You know how it is, short hair is much more comfortable when you travel a lot, I don’t think the ponytail will ever come back”. For the first time in his life he finds himself surrounded by television and journalists and has to repeat the story of the day three times, also in English: “I had a bit of an uphill start because I bogeyed the first hole, but I managed to stay calm and play as I know how. It’s a period in which I feel in good shape, so hole after hole without taking too many risks I managed to make 4 birdies and an eagle for a good round at -5”. Yes, that eagle was the highlight of these three days. A par 5 closed in 3, with the second shot that he defines as one of the best of his life: “I was 226 meters from the green and the shaft was inside 5 meters, with the water on the right. I really had little margin, maybe I could have been calmer, but I tried, I took the 2 iron and went for the green. A really great shot. Then of course, I also know that stopping three meters from the flag is also a stroke of luck”.
from connecting rod
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Gregorio is enjoying himself. The other evening he treated himself to a fish in a small restaurant on the beach. He had last played in Cervia six years ago, in a famous youth tournament, and he is happy to have returned as a professional: “Yes, it is a great satisfaction”. He started at six years old, when he was 11 he decided to abandon all other sports activities – even if today he enjoys playing padel with friends – and to dedicate himself body and soul to golf. “It was my mother who introduced me to this sport. She played at Betulle, the club in Biella, and to not leave me at home or with my grandparents she started taking me with her. My father, on the other hand, has never touched an iron in his life, he is an accountant, but he follows me a lot. My parents have made many sacrifices for me”. Also decisive in Gregorio’s growth was the teacher he relied on six years ago, Alain Vergari: “We grew up together, working step by step. I rely on him for everything, I don’t have a mental coach, and when he decides I need one we’ll look for one. But for the moment it’s fine like this”.
the target
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Today is the last round. De Leo doesn’t hide his ambitions: “On the eve I simply hoped to make the cut, once I did it I started dreaming of a top ten because it would guarantee me a place in next week’s tournament in Germany and that would already be an excellent result”. In reality, the first two also qualify for The Open at Royal Troon… De Leo smiles and admits he hopes so: “Yes, why not? Let’s see how I’m doing after the first nine holes. At that point the objectives could also change”.
