A selection of Italy’s top golf professionals joined up with key figures from the business and golfing worlds for four days of fun at Sicily’s deluxe Verdura Resort by taking part in the prestigious 2016 Buccellati Invitational Pro-Am.
Taking place at the award-winning golf and lifestyle destination resort for the fifth year running, 32 teams from countries including France, Russia and the UK joined players from Italy to compete over Verdura’s two 18-hole championship courses–the East and West – for the prized Sir Rocco Forte Trophy.
Leading names from the Italian golf world including Michele Reale and Federico Colombo – who both played on the European Tour – were among the select field of professionals and amateurs competing for a host of top prizes, with all the winners being presented with individual, hand-crafted silver shells thanks to main sponsors Buccellati.
David Ghisaberti, Marco General, Moses Tavecchio and Matteo Fantoni took overall victory in the team event, while Reale ensured he also had plenty to celebrate by winning the 54-hole individual event for professionals.
Andrea Buccellati said: “We started this event five years ago almost as a joke and, at the beginning, we were just a group of friends travelling to play golf. Now, we have so many more people playing but the important thing is that we have managed to retain the spirit of the event. The courses and the resort were perfect as always and we are already looking forward to returning next year.”
Host of the Sicilian Open in 2012, Verdura Resort – a Rocco Forte hotel – has quickly risen to become one of Europe’s elite contemporary, luxury sports and lifestyle destinations.
Named as Italy’s best golf resort in a recent industry list of continental Europe’s top 100 golf resorts, Verdura’s world-class golf facilities include two outstanding 18-hole championship courses as well as a par-three nine-hole course, double-ended driving range and first-class academy.
Built to the highest specifications, the resort’s three links-style layouts offer a golf experience to remember, with tee times arranged at 12-minute intervals to ensure free-flowing play, five sets of tees making the courses playable for golfers of all abilities and one of its courses dedicated daily to two-ball play only.
Situated on Sicily’s southern coast between Agrigento and the fishing city of Sciacca, an 80-minute drive from Trapani and Palermo airports, Verdura Resort features 203 rooms and suites – all with a sea view.
Away from the fairways, the resort features an array of other luxury sports and lifestyle facilities while guests also have the opportunity to sample a taste of the gastronomy, wine, history and culture that has made Sicily famous across the world.
For more information on Verdura Resort and to book a stay, phone +39 0925 99 8180 or visit www.roccofortehotels.com