Costantino Rocca
Encyclopedia
Costantino Rocca is the most successful male golf
er that Italy
has produced. After a long career on the European Tour
he is now playing on the European Seniors Tour
. He has five European Tour wins and is best known for his second place finish in the 1995 Open Championship.
, Bergamo
. He started out as a caddy
, winning the Italian Caddie Championship in 1978, and turned professional in 1981 at the age of 24.
In the 1980s, Rocca struggled to retain a European Tour card and made several trips to the Qualifying School
. He began to make major strides in his career in 1990, which was the first season that he finished high enough on the Order of Merit to gain a tour card automatically. By 1993, he had risen to sixth in the Order of Merit, and his two best seasons were 1995 and 1996, when he finished fourth. He won five titles on the tour, the first of which was the 1993 Open de Lyon and the most prestigious of which was the 1996 Volvo PGA Championship.
In 1995, Rocca sank a 60 foot (18 metre) putt on the 18th at St Andrews
to make the birdie he needed force a play-off with the American John Daly
, but Daly took the title. As Rocca approached the final hole, he was one shot behind Daly. Rocca's long drive was only yards from the green, but his second shot resulted in a fluffed chip where he forgot to follow through. The ball trickled a mere five yards into the "Valley of Sin." From the Valley of Sin, well below the level of the green, Rocca putted and holed his birdie putt. The jovial Italian instantly fell to the ground and began pounding the ground with his fists out of joy.
Rocca's showing at the Open helped qualify him for the Ryder Cup
in 1995. The Italian punched a five-iron into the cup for a hole-in-one at Oak Hill's 167-yard sixth hole. It was only the third hole-in-one in Ryder Cup history.
In 1997, Rocca played the final round of The Masters Tournament
with 21-year-old Tiger Woods
, nine strokes behind him. He finished 3-under-par, and watched Woods' legendary moment. Since the turn of the millennium, age has begun to catch up with Rocca and he has fallen out of the top hundred on the Order of Merit. He made his European Seniors Tour
debut at the 2007 Sharp Italian Seniors Open, and won his first senior tournament two weeks later at the Irish Seniors Open
. He ended 2008 with a record seven top finishes and ranked ninth in the Order of Merit. His best placing was tied third in the Azores Senior Open.
Rocca was the first Italian to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup
, and remained the only Italian to do so until 2010, when Francesco Molinari
qualified for the Ryder Cup held in Celtic Manor and Edoardo Molinari
was a captain's pick. He appeared in 1993, 1995 and 1997, and had a 6-5-0 win-loss-half record, including 1 win and 2 losses in singles matches. That one singles win came in a crucial match against Tiger Woods
in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama
, which Rocca won 4 & 2 to help Europe claim the cup. The victory against Woods was one of Woods' first losses in singles play. His 53% winning record in the Cup is one of the best in European team history. In 1999, Rocca almost qualified for the Cup again after he won the West of Ireland Golf Classic.
In 2008, Rocca opened his own golf academy, the Costantino Rocca Golf Academy, at Golf Club Gerre Losone in Switzerland
.
He is friends with golfing great Gary Player
and plays in his Gary Player Invitational charity event to help raise money for underprivileged children around the world.
All in Italy except where noted.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er that Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
has produced. After a long career on the European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
he is now playing on the European Seniors Tour
European Seniors Tour
The European Seniors Tour is a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over run by the PGA European Tour.The Tour was founded in 1992. In 2008 it had a total prize fund of €7,729,284, so it is much further behind the U.S.-based Champions Tour in relative prize money than the main European...
. He has five European Tour wins and is best known for his second place finish in the 1995 Open Championship.
Career outline
Rocca was born in Almenno San BartolomeoAlmenno San Bartolomeo
Almenno San Bartolomeo is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km northeast of Milan and about 9 km northwest of Bergamo....
, Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
. He started out as a caddy
Caddy
In golf, a caddy is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin...
, winning the Italian Caddie Championship in 1978, and turned professional in 1981 at the age of 24.
In the 1980s, Rocca struggled to retain a European Tour card and made several trips to the Qualifying School
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
. He began to make major strides in his career in 1990, which was the first season that he finished high enough on the Order of Merit to gain a tour card automatically. By 1993, he had risen to sixth in the Order of Merit, and his two best seasons were 1995 and 1996, when he finished fourth. He won five titles on the tour, the first of which was the 1993 Open de Lyon and the most prestigious of which was the 1996 Volvo PGA Championship.
In 1995, Rocca sank a 60 foot (18 metre) putt on the 18th at St Andrews
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...
to make the birdie he needed force a play-off with the American John Daly
John Daly (golfer)
John Patrick Daly is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour.Daly is known primarily for his driving distance off the tee , his non-country club appearance and attitude, and his rough-and-tumble personal life. Daly remains one of the most popular and intriguing figures on the PGA Tour...
, but Daly took the title. As Rocca approached the final hole, he was one shot behind Daly. Rocca's long drive was only yards from the green, but his second shot resulted in a fluffed chip where he forgot to follow through. The ball trickled a mere five yards into the "Valley of Sin." From the Valley of Sin, well below the level of the green, Rocca putted and holed his birdie putt. The jovial Italian instantly fell to the ground and began pounding the ground with his fists out of joy.
Rocca's showing at the Open helped qualify him for the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
in 1995. The Italian punched a five-iron into the cup for a hole-in-one at Oak Hill's 167-yard sixth hole. It was only the third hole-in-one in Ryder Cup history.
In 1997, Rocca played the final round of The Masters Tournament
1997 Masters Tournament
The 1997 Masters Tournament was the 61st Masters Tournament held from April 10–13 at Augusta National Golf Club. Tiger Woods won his first major championship and Masters Tournament by 12 strokes over Tom Kite. Woods broke the four-day tournament low record with an -18...
with 21-year-old Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, nine strokes behind him. He finished 3-under-par, and watched Woods' legendary moment. Since the turn of the millennium, age has begun to catch up with Rocca and he has fallen out of the top hundred on the Order of Merit. He made his European Seniors Tour
European Seniors Tour
The European Seniors Tour is a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over run by the PGA European Tour.The Tour was founded in 1992. In 2008 it had a total prize fund of €7,729,284, so it is much further behind the U.S.-based Champions Tour in relative prize money than the main European...
debut at the 2007 Sharp Italian Seniors Open, and won his first senior tournament two weeks later at the Irish Seniors Open
Irish Seniors Open
The Irish Senior Open is the Irish stop on men's golf's European Seniors Tour. It was founded in 1997 and has been played at several different courses around Ireland. It is a 54 hole stroke play tournament...
. He ended 2008 with a record seven top finishes and ranked ninth in the Order of Merit. His best placing was tied third in the Azores Senior Open.
Rocca was the first Italian to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
, and remained the only Italian to do so until 2010, when Francesco Molinari
Francesco Molinari
Francesco Molinari is an Italian professional golfer. He is a two-time winner on the European Tour and was a member of the 2010 European Ryder Cup team.-Background and amateur career:...
qualified for the Ryder Cup held in Celtic Manor and Edoardo Molinari
Edoardo Molinari
Edoardo Molinari is an Italian professional golfer. He is a two-time winner on the European Tour, 2005 U.S. Amateur champion, 2009 Challenge Tour Rankings leader, winner, with his brother Francesco, of the 2009 World Cup and a member of the 2010 European Ryder Cup team...
was a captain's pick. He appeared in 1993, 1995 and 1997, and had a 6-5-0 win-loss-half record, including 1 win and 2 losses in singles matches. That one singles win came in a crucial match against Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama
Valderrama Golf Club
The Valderrama Golf Club is one of the best known golf clubs in Europe. It is located in the resort of Sotogrande, San Roque in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain, a few miles from Gibraltar, and has a single 18 hole course, along with a 9 hole par 3 course.Valderrama was constructed in 1974...
, which Rocca won 4 & 2 to help Europe claim the cup. The victory against Woods was one of Woods' first losses in singles play. His 53% winning record in the Cup is one of the best in European team history. In 1999, Rocca almost qualified for the Cup again after he won the West of Ireland Golf Classic.
Personal life
Rocca is married and has two children, Francesco and Chiara.In 2008, Rocca opened his own golf academy, the Costantino Rocca Golf Academy, at Golf Club Gerre Losone in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
He is friends with golfing great Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
and plays in his Gary Player Invitational charity event to help raise money for underprivileged children around the world.
European Tour wins (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Apr 1993 | Open de Lyon | 6 strokes |  Joakim HaeggmanJoakim Haeggman Karl Sven Joakim Haeggman is a Swedish European Tour golfer. He turned professional in 1989 and won his place on the Tour at that year's qualifying school. He has won three events on the European Tour, and several other professional events... , Gabriel HjertstedtGabriel Hjertstedt Gabriel Hjertstedt is a Swedish professional golfer.Hjertstedt was born in Umeå, Sweden. His family relocated to Australia when he was eleven and he learned to play golf there. He turned professional in 1990 and spent time on the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Japan Golf Tour... ,  Barry LaneBarry Lane Barry Lane is an English professional golfer.Lane was born in Hayes, Middlesex. He turned professional in 1976 and first played on the European Tour in 1982. For the first few seasons he failed to finish high enough on the Order of Merit to retain his card and he made several visits to the... , Paul McGinley Paul McGinley Paul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England.... |
|
| 2 | 27 Jun 1993 | Peugeot Open de France | Playoff |  Paul McGinleyPaul McGinley Paul McGinley is an Irish golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is most famous for holing the winning putt for the European team in the 2002 Ryder Cup. He currently resides in Sunningdale, England.... |
|
| 3 | 27 May 1996 | Volvo PGA Championship | 2 strokes | Nick Faldo Nick Faldo Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No... ,  Paul LawriePaul Lawrie Paul Stewart Lawrie MBE is a Scottish professional golfer who is best known for winning The Open Championship in 1999.-Life and career:... |
|
| 4 | 7 Sep 1997 | Canon European Masters | 1 stroke | Scott Henderson Scott Henderson (golfer) Scott Henderson is a Scottish professional golfer.Henderson was born in Aberdeen. He worked as an engineer in the oil industry before turning professional in 1992.... , Robert KarlssonRobert Karlsson Robert Karlsson is a Swedish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and as of 2011 on the PGA Tour.-Career:... |
|
| 5 | 15 Aug 1999 | West of Ireland Golf Classic | 2 strokes | Pádraig Harrington Padraig Harrington Pádraig P. Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on The European Tour and The PGA Tour. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008.-Background:... |
Other (7)
- 1984 National Omnium
- 1985 Enichem Open
- 1986 Pinetina Open
- 1987 Index Open
- 1988 Rolex Pro-Am (Switzerland)
- 1989 National Omnium, Italian PGA Championship
All in Italy except where noted.
European Seniors Tour (2)
- 2007 AIB Irish Seniors Open, The Kingdom of Bahrain Trophy - Seniors Tour Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | T41 | DNP | CUT | T5 | CUT | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | T67 | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T44 | T55 | CUT | CUT | 2 | T63 | CUT | T8 | T18 |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T17 | T52 | T71 | CUT | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
(representing Europe): 19931993 Ryder CupThe 30th Ryder Cup Matches were held at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England . The United States team won the competition by a margin of 15 to 13 points.-Format:...
, 19951995 Ryder CupThe 31st Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York.The European team won the competition by a margin of 14½ to 13½ points to win back the Cup.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point...
(winners), 19971997 Ryder CupThe 32nd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Valderrama Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain, marking the first time the event was contested in continental Europe.The European team won the competition by a margin of 14½ to 13½ and retained the Cup....
(winners) - Alfred Dunhill CupAlfred Dunhill CupThe Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000. It was for three man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championship". It was a "special approved event" on the European Tour, which means that it was...
(representing Italy): 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1999 - World Cup (representing Italy): 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999
- Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1984
- Europcar Cup: 1988