On the eve of the Italian Open and US Open, The Daily Express talks about one of the youngest and most promising professional golfers – 18-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero.
Matteo Manassero exists in two parallel universes. One is the poster boy for the Italian Open this week and the future of Italian golf, the other is a model student.
At 18, he’s already set the stage for making millions – with prizes and offers sprinkled on him in his first but fabulously successful professional season. By the end of his career, he’ll have added many more zeros to those sums, so from a practical standpoint, he doesn’t have to combine professional sports with his studies at all. But for him, golf is a means to a living, not life itself. And the fact that he continues to make efforts to develop his mind — Manassero has a series of school exams to take in September — speaks volumes.
Spend five minutes in his company, and you’ll be struck by how beyond his years this young man is wise. At least, that’s what his colleagues on the European Tour think.
“He doesn’t think like any other 18-year-old. He’s more mature than many of us. Matteo is a 35-year-old man in the body of an 18-year-old,” says Spaniard Alvaro Quiros.
The idea of a golfer ranked 30th in the world being so young that he doesn’t even have a driver’s license seems absurd. This summer, Manassero will have the added burden of taking the necessary classes to finally get behind the wheel of a car.
“It’s really a little strange,” he stresses. – But in Italy you can’t get a driver’s license until you’re 18, and I’m trying to learn right now. When I pass my exam, my first car will probably be a Mini – in Italy you can’t drive faster cars with less than a year’s experience.”
Yes, he loses a little to his British peers in racing (in the UK you can get a license at 17), but on the golf course he’s way ahead. At 16 Matteo became the youngest winner of the World Amateur Championship, at 17 – the youngest triumpher of the European Tour tournament and the youngest golfer in history to make the cut at the Masters.
And the Italian’s performance at the BMW PGA Championship two weeks ago is proof that his career is in fast-forward mode.
Before the final round, Manassero shared first place with eventual winner Luke Donald, but ended up in seventh place. But in this situation, the experience gained by the 2010 Rookie of the Year was more rewarding.
“It could have been a fantastic day, but it ended up being a learning experience,” he said. – That happens in golf from time to time. Of course, there was nothing to get excited about, but it was a rewarding experience.”
“In fact, last year was a good year from that standpoint. I’ve been learning how to play and cope with all the different conditions, nerves and adrenaline around me. I’m becoming more confident. Winning two tournaments gave me more confidence,” stresses the Italian.
In ten days Manassero will debut at the US Open, but before that he has some business at home – along with the Molinari brothers he will be the main star at a tournament in Turin. It was at the Italian Open last year that Matteo made his professional debut. It was in Turin that Francesco Molinari first saw a four-year-old boy who couldn’t be overlooked.
“I played among amateurs at the Italian Open, and Manny played there. He even managed to go a hole,” recalls the world No. 20. – He could turn the world of Italian golf upside down. We did something when we won the Ryder Cup and we’re still doing our part, but Matteo could attract a lot more interest. He could be someone who makes not only the fans of our sport follow golf, but everyone else as well.
