The champion of the Italian Open is Marcel Siem, the lord of rebirths. German from Westphalia, he is 43 years old and has been through a bit of everything in his life – the latest misfortune is a hip operation performed in February which kept him out of action for three months – and this success also came in the most daring way possible. Leading on Saturday, almost breaking away after nine holes on Sunday, a disaster on the back nine with four bogeythe tournament thrown away and caught back by the hair with an unexpected event birdie at the 18th that forced the play-off with the very young Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin – author of an excellent -6 of the day – and then another birdie on the first playoff hole. It is his sixth victory on the DPWorld Tour in over 500 competitions, the first being over 20 years ago. His long journey in golf has led him to be relegated on the Challenge Tour, to have to resort to the Qualifying School, to lose his card and to regain it. A rollercoaster career. His curriculum also includes a victory in the World Cup, obtained in 2006 in Barbados together with Bernhard Langer who is – coincidentally – the last and only German to appear in the roll of honor of the Italian Open before him (1997).
sorry, sorry
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There is nothing normal or predictable about Marcel. His parents ran a restaurant at a golf club in Burge Overbach, Cologne. He first picked up a bat at two years old, but really started playing at six. On the pitch he often dresses like a German tourist who thinks that the more colors he puts on himself the more impression he makes on women, he puts his hair up in a chignon that might look good on the head of an elderly woman or a fit twenty-year-old, but which can look a little ridiculous on a middle-aged gentleman. He moved to live in Mauritius and did his rehabilitation there after his hip operation. Not a bad place to put together the pieces of an existence and a career that seemed over. And the Adriatic golf Club of Cervia, in the Romagna region also known as the German Riviera, could only have a winner like Siem. His happiness fits well with the local joie de vivre: “Hitting that putt on the 18th was one of the best golfing moments of my life, then doing it again in the play-off was absolutely fantastic. I love this sport, I just love it, and It’s so good and fun to work hard when you get rewards like this. I love life, I love golf, there’s nothing better at the moment.”
selective italian open
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The Cervia field proved to be much more challenging and selective than expected. It may have been because none of the players knew it and therefore everyone had to take measures, it may have been the gusty wind – the famous garbino that everyone in Romagna knows well – of the last two laps, it may have been above all the positions of the flags put up for everyone and four rounds very close to the edges of the greens, it may have been the sum of all these factors, but the fact is that this year no DPWorld tournament had been won at just ten strokes under par. The record so far was held by the South African Open and the Dutch Open in which the top of the leaderboard had closed at -11. A good response to those who feared and predicted very low scores.
Italians at the open
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The final result was good with 4 Italians in the Top 10, but yesterday no one was really in contention for the victory. Andrea Pavan finished in 5th place, 2 strokes behind Siem but his round of -1 (2 bogeys in the first five holes and then 3 birdies) never had the push to ignite the dreams of the enthusiasts who followed him among the Cervia greens. It’s a shame about the ball mysteriously lost at 9 during the second round, perhaps ending up in a tree and never coming down, perhaps picked up by a spectator. It’s true that golf isn’t played with “ifs”, but if that ball had been found today perhaps we would have a much higher Pavan. However, it is the second excellent placing in a row after 4th place in Holland and now the Roman is 51st in the Race to Dubai. In tenth place are Manassero, Celli and De Leo who on Saturday had raised hopes of a historic coup. Yesterday he started with a good level of play but the putt betrayed him and the many wasted opportunities transformed his round into a long chase which ended with a nice birdie at the 18th. So, just to go home with a nice memory and above all with the qualification for the next race in Germany. Appointment in Munich, Gregorio, you deserved it.
