The Legends Tour will return to the distinguished San Domenico Golf course in 2023 with the Italian Senior Open held at the venue where it was previously staged in 2021 – an event which saw South African James Kingston secure his maiden Legends Tour title.
Located in Italy’s Puglia region, San Domenico Golf is rich in history and a true test thanks to strategically designed bunkers and carefully positioned fairways. No stranger to hosting big events, the Italian venue staged the Challenge Tour Grand Final on eight occasions between 2005 and 2012.
Held between October 27 and 29 at the luxury five-star resort, the Italian Senior Open will be the penultimate European event on the 2023 Legends Tour season before the competition travels to Africa for three back-to-back tournaments prior to the season-ending MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius at Constance Bella Mare Plage.
Four-time DP World Tour winner Ricardo Gonzalez will visit San Domenico Golf as defending champion following his victory in the 2022 Italian Senior Open at Argentario Golf Club – the Argentinian won the event by three strokes ahead of defending champion Kingston.
Since his Italian win in 2021, Kingston has established himself as one of the best players on the Legends Tour. Last season the two-time DP World Tour winner secured the Legends Tour Order of Merit title, receiving the John Jacobs Trophy following an impressive campaign which saw him claim his second Legends Tour title at the Swiss Senior Masters, with nine further top-10 finishes.
The Italian Senior Open – which will be played just weeks after the Ryder Cup takes place in Italy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in September – will also be one of the Legends Tour events this year to host the Alliance Series, a universal success since its inception. The format provides an exclusive opportunity to live the life of a golf legend as everyday players play alongside two professionals in a team event format, as well as in an individual tournament against other Alliance competitors, in front of crowds and TV cameras.
The aim is to give amateur players the opportunity to experience what it is like to compete at the highest level under the pressure of competition as they play on some of the world’s best courses alongside some of the world’s finest golfers – former Ryder Cup captains and Major winners including Paul McGinley, Paul Lawrie, Michael Campbell, Ian Woosnam and Thomas Bjorn all competed on last year’s Legends Tour.
Franco Chimenti, Italian Golf Federation president, said: “The Senior Italian Open is one of the most awaited tournaments on the circuit. It will be played a month after the Ryder Cup, an event that will attract the attention of the whole world on Italian golf and will help to increase the interest of Italians in our sport.
“The stage of the Legends Tour - which will see players in action who have made such history in the game of golf - returns to play at San Domenico Golf, a golf club of great tradition that represents the excellence of our country with wonderful natural scenery. It is a showcase for southern Italy that has unparalleled potential in terms of golf tourism to live all year round.”
The upcoming season promises to be the biggest since the Legends Tour rebranding, with larger fields and record-breaking prize money as well as new venues hosting major events like Ireland’s Seapoint Golf Links and Trump International Golf Links Aberdeen.
The 2023 season will feature at least 18 tournaments with a minimum confirmed cumulative prize fund total of more than €16million, a significant increase on the 2022 campaign.
Phil Harrison, chief executive of the Legends Tour, said: “We are delighted to be returning to San Domenico Golf later this year for the Italian Senior Open.
“The 2023 Legends Tour season promises to be the biggest to date as we travel to even more top-quality courses around the globe. The return to Italy, along with the number of new events scheduled to take place, shows our commitment to growing the Tour as a sporting spectacle.”
Click here for more information on the Alliance Series at San Domenico Golf and how to book your spot.