At the Golf Nazionale (par 72) in Sutri (Viterbo), Juan Carlo Ritchie took the cake. With a total of 268 (69, 63, 68, 68, -20), he won the Italian Challenge Open and celebrated his third victory of the season, his second consecutive after last week's at the Portuguese Open, which allows him to immediately return to the DP World Tour. In the HotelPlanner Tour tournament, also part of the Italian Pro Tour calendar, the circuit of national and international competitions organized by the Italian Golf Federation in collaboration with its Official Advisor, Infront Italy, the South African took home a clean sweep. The 31-year-old from Standerton also received a check for 48,000 out of a total prize pool of 300,000 and the satisfaction, this week, of having also led his team to victory in the opening Pro-Am. Leading the way at the end of the "moving day" with Sweden's Robin Petersson, then tied for second with a 270 (-18) alongside fellow countryman Christofer Rahm, Ritchie immediately sealed the deal in the fourth round by making seven consecutive birdies (eight in total, with a bogey and a final triple bogey on the 18th hole) (from holes 1 to 7), allowing him to break away.
The Lazio Region trophy went to Lorenzo Scalise, 11th with a 274 (68 67 69 70, -14), the bestin the competition. Jacopo Vecchi Fossa, 25th with a 277 (-11), finished ahead of Andrea Romano, 28th with a 278 (-10). Further back were Michele Ortolani, 40th with a score of 281 (-7), Aron Zemmer, 43rd with a score of 282 (-6), and Giovanni Binaghi, 50th with a score of 283 (-5) and the event's "best amateur."
Attending the awards ceremony were: Francesco Rocca, President of the Lazio Region; Antonello Aurigemma, President of the Lazio Regional Council; Cristiano Cerchiai, President of the Italian Golf Federation; Matteo Amori, Mayor of Sutri; Paolo Giuntarelli, Director of Tourism, Cinema, Audiovisual, and Sport for the Lazio Region; Stefano Frigeri, Deputy Vice President of the Italian Golf Federation; Vittorio Andrea Vaccaro, Vice President of the CONI National Athletes' Commission and Councilor of the Italian Golf Federation representing Professional Athletes; Marta Maestroni, Secretary General of the Italian Golf Federation; Sebastiano Torrisi, Senior Referee & Tournament Director; and Alessandro Rogato, President of the National Golf Federation. During the ceremony, Francesco Rocca awarded Cristiano Cerchiai a medal.
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Juan Carlo Ritchie: I'm delighted to return to the DP World Tour, and my goal, now and in the future, is to continue competing on the best circuits in the world. This isn't the first time I've won two tournaments in a row; I already did so in 2022. I dedicate this feat to my wife and thank all the organizers of the Italian Challenge Open for the great success of the tournament.
