Italian Open Power Rankings: Top ten picks at Gardagolf

4 May 1997: Costantino Rocca of Italy and his caddy walk across the bridge at the eighth hole during the Italian Open at the Gardagolf Club in Brescia, Italy. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Redington/Allsport
4 May 1997: Costantino Rocca of Italy and his caddy walk across the bridge at the eighth hole during the Italian Open at the Gardagolf Club in Brescia, Italy. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Redington/Allsport /
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Italian Open Power Rankings
Italian Open Power Rankings (Mandatory Credit: Andrew Redington/Allsport) /

The Italian Open is in its second season as part of the European Tour’s Rolex Series. With a star-studded field in action at Gardagolf, who will come out on top?

The European Tour has done well to bring many of its stars from last week’s BMW PGA Championship into this week’s Italian Open. The Rolex Series will have that effect.

Five of the top 10 in the Race to Dubai are at Gardagolf Country Club in Brescia, Italy this week for the Italian Open which is in its second year as a Rolex Series event.

Extra euros are on the line as the field competes at a venue hosting this event for just the third time and the first since Mathias Gronberg (-17) won in 2003.

Bernhard Langer (-15) won here in 1997 in an exciting finish with Jose Maria Olazabal.

Gardagolf also hosted the European Tour’s 1993 Kronenbourg Open won by Sam Torrance, Challenge Tour events from 2004-06 and the 1990 Ladies Italian Open.

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Gardagolf is the home club to four-time European Tour winner Matteo Manassero.

The Championship course at the 27-hole Gardagolf facility is a par-71 measuring to 7,201 yards. A fun finish could be had at the 488-yard par-4 18th rated as the No. 1 handicap hole.

The parkland, tree-lined course is located in northern Italy with sweet views of Lake Gardia.

Water is a factor on six holes.

Without much for recent stats or course history, it’s hard to tell what stats are of utmost importance. At new venues, putting seems to be neutralized most.

For this, I’ll favor good ball strikers and those who’ve shown good recent form.

This is another big week to earn European Ryder Cup points. Let’s see who is primed to rise to the occasion.