Alessandra Fanali (born 30 July 1999) is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour. She was runner-up at the 2022 Ladies Italian Open and 2024 Magical Kenya Ladies Open.[1]
| Alessandra Fanali | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Nickname | Ale |
| Born | 30 July 1999 Fiuggi, Lazio, Italy |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Sporting nationality |  Italy |
| Residence | Alatri, Lazio, Italy |
| Career | |
| College | Arizona State University |
| Turned professional | 2022 |
| Current tour(s) | Ladies European Tour (joined 2023) |
Amateur career edit
Fanali is from Fiuggi, Lazio near Rome and represents Marco Simone Golf and Country Club after she started playing at Fiuggi Golf Club.[2] She joined the Italian National Team and won the 2016 European Girls' Team Championship in Oslo together with Caterina Don, Alessia Nobilio and Emilie Alba Paltrinieri, beating a Swedish team with Maja Stark, Linn Grant and Frida Kinhult in the final.[3]
In 2017, she represented Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup alongside Linn Grant, Maja Stark, Julia Engström, Frida Kinhult, Emma Spitz and Esther Henseleit. In 2018, she lost a playoff at the Italian International Ladies Amateur Championship to Emma Spitz of Austria.[4]
Fanali appeared four times for Italy in the European Ladies' Team Championship, finishing 4th in 2018 after they lost their semi-final to Sweden, securing the bronze against Germany in 2019, and losing the final in 2022 to England.
Fanali played college golf at Arizona State University with the Arizona State Sun Devils women's golf team 2018–22 alongside Linn Grant and Alexandra Försterling. She was named All-American and recorded one individual title.[5]
In 2019, she made a hole-in-one at the Annika Intercollegiate, and played in the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur.[6][7]
Fanali shot a 67 in the final round of the 2022 Ladies Italian Open at Margara Golf Club to join a playoff with Morgane Métraux and Meghan MacLaren. She birdied the first playoff hole but Métraux sank a 20-foot putt for eagle to win.[8]
Professional career edit
Fanali turned professional in 2022 and secured her card for the 2023 Ladies European Tour by birdying her final hole at Q-School, a lost ball in a palm tree earlier in the round having cost her two strokes.[4]
She started her rookie season well, with top-10 finishes at the Lalla Meryem Cup and the South African Women's Open and recorded a hand-full of top-10 finishes across the season, including a tie for 4th at the Jabra Ladies Open at Evian Resort Golf Club.[1]
She was on the winning team at the 2023 Aramco Team Series – Riyadh alongside Carlota Ciganda and Sára Kousková.[1]
In 2024, Fanali was runner-up in the season opener Magical Kenya Ladies Open behind Shannon Tan, having started the day as joint leaders.[9]
Amateur wins edit
- 2016 Coppa d'Oro Citta di Roma, Quercia d'Oro, Castello di Marco Simone Trophy
- 2017 Castello di Marco Simone Trophy
- 2022 Silverado Showdown
Source:[10]
Playoff record edit
Ladies European Tour (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2022 | Ladies Italian Open |  Morgane Métraux Meghan MacLaren
|
Métraux won with eagle on first extra hole |
Team appearances edit
Amateur
- Junior Solheim Cup (representing Europe): 2017
- World Junior Girls Championship (representing Italy): 2017
- European Girls' Team Championship (representing Italy): 2016 (winners), 2017
- European Ladies' Team Championship (representing Italy): 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022
References edit
- ^ a b c "Alessandra Fanali Bio". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Marco Simone Team Talents". Marco Simone Golf and Country Club. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Alessandra Fanali: la giovane golfista fiuggina incanta l'Arizona" (in Italian). Girocittà. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Getting to Know Alessandra Fanali". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
- ^ "Women's Golf Roster: Alessandra Fanali". Arizona Sun Devils. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Woodard, Adam (16 September 2019). "Arizona State's Alessandra Fanali makes hole-in-one at ANNIKA Intercollegiate". Golfweek. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Harrington, Squire (11 April 2019). "I am woman, hear me 'fore': ASU golfers part of historic event at Augusta". Cronkite News. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Ladies European Tour: Morgane Metraux eagles play-off hole to clinch Italian Open victory". SkySports. PA Sport. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Ganesan, Deepanraj (12 February 2024). "Teenage Singaporean golfer Shannon Tan lands historic win on Ladies European Tour debut". The Straits Times. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Player Profile Alessandra Fanali". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "European Girls' Team Championship – European Golf Association". Retrieved 18 December 2017.
External links edit
- Alessandra Fanali at the Ladies European Tour official site
- Alessandra Fanali at the Women's World Golf Rankings official site