Manassero – After All The Hurt Now One Event Shy Ending 15-Year PGA ‘Regular’ Event Absence

10 months ago by Comments Off on Manassero – After All The Hurt Now One Event Shy Ending 15-Year PGA ‘Regular’ Event Absence

Italian Matteo Manessero is now just one tournament away from the real likelihood of securing full PGA Tour membership for the 2025 season.

Manassero heads into this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship lying fifth among the leading 10 players, otherwise not exempt, who will earn full PGA status.

It is the second year running such a reward is on offer to DP World players as we’ve seen this year what can be accomplished with Scot Robert MacIntyre now enjoying the golf world at his feet following two PGA Tour sanctioned successes in season ’24.

Manassero last competed in the States in June this year at the US Open however you have to go back to March 2015 when he last teed-up in a regular PGA Tour event and that was the first week of April 2016 in contesting the Shell Houston Open, and a week prior to the Masters that he had unsuccessfully sought to qualify via the Texas tournament.

Much has been written about Manassero’s on-course struggles but after two wins on last year’s Challenge Tour and a first victory on the DPWT earlier this year following a near 10-year absence since last tasting success in May 2013, the affable Italian is back to his best.

And isn’t he happy in speaking of his season ahead of his debut in this week’s $1om event in Dubai.

“It’s very nice. For a few years, I kind of dreamed of being back here but you never know if it’s going to happen or not”, he said.

“But now this year, I earned it. I earned it. It’s been a really about year, and this tournament has always been a reward of a really good season, and then you come into this with all the guys have different goals and things to get done this season.

“There’s a lot to play for in these next four days, so I’m looking forward to it but more than anything, I’m enjoying being here and having earned the right to be here”.

And despite all the ups-and-downs in his golf career Manassero proudly says it’s been ‘great’ and he’s been happy with his progress.

“Really good. I think it’s been great”, he said.  “Reflecting on life a little bit, you don’t always have really good times. Unfortunately you have to go through a little bit more difficult moments. I would say it’s still related to golf, so it’s nothing that important and that massive, like life can bring you.

“But I’m happy with the progress I’ve made on the golf course throughout my career. The beginning was really good, and I’m so happy about the beginning because not many people have the chance to start a professional career like that and get wins under my belt, and so that is still me. It’s still mine, and it’s never going to be taken away. But the rest was really good to make me a better player, a better person on the golf course.

“As well, I think the mindset changed, started to change, and that was massive, and then the game developed slower than the mindset, I would say. I switched from a results-orientated mindset to more concentrating on my process and on my progress.

“So I was starting to focus on that, and that gave me the patience to improve my game. Ultimately, I think putting made a big difference. More consistent putting was the last kind of bit that made me better”.

And finally he was asked how would he rate his victory earlier this year on the DPWT?

“I would say it could be the top. It’s not the biggest golf tournament I’ve won in my career but from a personal point of view, it is, because it’s the hardest; the longest time without winning. So you get the sweet taste, and then get that taken away for 11 years.

“So it took a long time, and the way it came, it made me realise I could do really good things even after having gone through hard times. It was definitely sweeter.

“I’m not a guy that gives 10s but it’s definitely a 9. Of course, there’s one more to go and it would be nice to put the cherry on the pie, but yeah, it’s high. It’s definitely more than I expected from this year. It was never going to be an easy year for me thinking at the beginning, but then it turned to living a lot of great moments and going through a lot of great and difficult moments really well. Yeah, great”

Well said Matteo and so good seeing you back to where you belong.

 



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