The Lancia d'Oro was a men's professional golf tournament held in Italy from 1962 to 1976. It was hosted at Golf Club Biella every year except for 1974, which was hosted by Turin Golf Club, during the club's 50th anniversary year. Generally it was a limited-field invitation event but the 1972 tournament was a full-field event,[1] and was part of what would later be recognised as the inaugural European Tour season.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Magnano, Italy |
| Established | 1962 |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Month played | October |
| Final year | 1976 |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 281 Alfonso Angelini (1968) |
| To par | −5 Luciano Grappasonni (1971) −5 José María Cañizares (1972) −5 Peter Townsend (1972) |
| Score | 51⁄2–21⁄2 Team USA (1976) |
| Final champion | |
 Team USA | |
History edit
The 1972 event was played from 19 to 22 October. The prize money was £10,000 with a first prize of £1,700.[2] José María Cañizares led after each of the first three rounds with scores of 69, 70 and 75. However, after a final round 73 he was tied with Peter Townsend on 287. Cañizares won the playoff at the fifth extra hole with a birdie 3, after hitting a 4-iron to 2 feet from the hole.[3]
Having not been played in 1975, the Lancia d'Oro returned in 1976 as a four-man team match play event. It was won by the United States team of Tommy Aaron, George Burns, Billy Casper, and Lee Elder who defeated the European team of Seve Ballesteros, Baldovino Dassù, Eamonn Darcy and Tony Jacklin.[4]
Winners edit
| Year | Winner(s) | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Team USA[a] |
51⁄2–21⁄2 |  Team Europe[b] |
[4] | ||
| 1975: No tournament | ||||||
| 1974 | Billy Casper |
209 | −5 | 5 strokes |  Bobby Cole |
[5][1] |
| 1973 |  Valentín Barrios |
211 | −8 | 2 strokes |  Jaime Benito |
[6][7] |
| 1972 | José María Cañizares |
287 | −5 | Playoff[c] |  Peter Townsend |
[3] |
| 1971 |  Luciano Grappasonni |
287 | −5 | 2 strokes | Ettore Della Torre Dale Hayes |
[8] |
| 1970 | Alfonso Angelini (2) |
286 | 1 stroke | Fred Boobyer |
[9] | |
| 1969 | Roberto Bernardini (3) |
|||||
| 1968 | Alfonso Angelini |
281 | 3 strokes | Roberto Bernardini Luciano Grappasonni Harold Henning |
[10] | |
| 1967 | Roberto Bernardini (2) |
|||||
| 1966 | Roberto Bernardini |
285 | 6 strokes | Denis Hutchinson |
[11] | |
| 1965 | Aldo Casera |
|||||
| 1964 | Harold Henning |
288 | Playoff[d] |  Flory Van Donck |
[12] | |
| 1963 | Manuel Canessa |
|||||
| 1962 | Flory Van Donck |
|||||
Notes edit
- ^ Tommy Aaron, George Burns, Billy Casper and Lee Elder.
- ^ Seve Ballesteros, Baldovino Dassù, Eamonn Darcy and Tony Jacklin.
- ^ Cañizares won the playoff at the fifth extra hole.
- ^ Henning won the playoff at the third extra hole.
References edit
- ^ a b McCormack, Mark H. (1975). The World of Professional Golf 1975. Collins. pp. 206–207, 400. ISBN 0002119552.
- ^ "British players face stern test on wet and wooded course". The Times. 19 October 1972. p. 9.
- ^ a b Doust, Dudley (23 October 1972). "Spaniard's spectacular birdie snuffs out Townsend's hopes". The Times. p. 7. Retrieved 1 March 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ a b "For the record". The Times. 11 October 1976. p. 9. Retrieved 1 March 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ "Casper Wins Italy Golf". The New York Times. Reuters. 14 October 1974. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "For the record". The Times. 17 September 1973. p. 9. Retrieved 1 March 2020 – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ "Spaniard Barrios wins Lancia Open". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. AP. 18 September 1973. p. 19.
- ^ "Golf: Grappasonni è primo a Biella". La Stampa (in Italian). Turin, Italy. 6 September 1971. p. 14.
- ^ "Golf: ad Angelini la "Lancia d'oro"". La Stampa (in Italian). Turin, Italy. 15 September 1970. p. 17.
- ^ "Angelini ha vinto a Biella la "Lancia d'oro" di golf". La Stampa (in Italian). Turin, Italy. 10 September 1968. p. 13.
- ^ "La "Lancia d'oro" di golf e stata vinta da Bernardini". La Stampa (in Italian). Turin, Italy. 14 September 1966. p. 8.
- ^ "Il trofeo Lancia d'oro | Gare di golf a Biella". La Stampa (in Italian). Turin, Italy. 14 September 1964. p. 8.