The course, in Italy’s Puglia region, has previously staged the tournament in 2021 and 2023 – both won by the South African James Kingston!
Now he’s going for a hattrick of wins in Italy at the same venue.
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 24 and 26 at the luxury five-star resort, the Sergio Melpignano Italian Senior Open features on the Italian Pro Tour and will be the penultimate European event on the 2024 Legends Tour schedule before the players head to Spain, Mexico, Vietnam ahead of the season-ending MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius at Constance Belle Mare Plage.
Kingston has established himself as one of the strongest and most consistent players on the Legends Tour. The two-time DP World Tour winner claimed the Legends Tour Order of Merit in 2022 and has won three times on the Legends Tour – one in each of the past three years, including this event twice.
Costantino Rocca and Emanuele Canonica will be leading the home hopes for the Azurri in the field for the €300,000 event.
Rocca is a pioneer of Italian golf, while Emanuele Canonica finished 18th in the 2023 MCB Road to Mauritius rankings. Alessandro Tadini and Michele Reale have also confirmed their participation in the tournament.
San Domenico Golf was founded by Sergio Melpignano and designed by architect Andy Haggar to the highest USGA standards. A 6,300-meter course which boasts breathtaking sea views from every hole and winds along the picturesque Adriatic coastline. Enriched by olive trees of rare beauty, it is punctuated by the colours and scents of typical Mediterranean vegetation. The choice of turf is designed to flush the grass: bermuda for the fairways, fescue for the rough, while the classic pencross variety was used for the greens. A fast surface combined with slopes that are not easy to tame and strategic bunkers will offer all players the perfect terrain for one of golf’s most stimulating challenges.
Franco Chimenti, President of the Italian Golf Federation: “The Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open is a tournament on the Legends Tour which celebrates the memory of an enlightened entrepreneur with the intuition and ability to make Savelletri a world-renowned resort and a landmark. For the third time in its history, the event will be played at San Domenico Golf, a club at the forefront of tradition and innovation, in a truly unique location – a destination for tourists from all over the world. This event represents a showcase for Southern Italy – a driving force for tourism, including golf, which after the success of the Italian Ryder Cup is experiencing an exciting period. This is one of the legacies of the Ryder Cup, which has generated not only an unprecedented economic spin-off in the history of the event, but a contagious enthusiasm. We just have to wait for October, to admire the shots and plays of so many timeless champions.”
Aldo Melpignano, Co-Owner of San Domenico Golf: “We are absolutely delighted to host the Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open for the third time at San Domenico Golf. A heartfelt thank you goes to the Legends Tour and Federezione Italiana Golf for making us part of this opportunity. Our golf journey began over twenty years ago and since then every tournament we have hosted has brought us closer to my father’s dream of bringing top-level golf to Puglia. It is an honour for me to see our course hosting such a prestigious event, dedicated to him.”
Phil Harrison, Chief Executive of the Legends Tour: “We are thrilled about returning to San Domenico for a third time. The golf course, the facilities and the people have all helped to make this a special event in our calendar, and one which our players look forward to – perhaps none more than James Kingston! I am sure he will be determined to win a hattrick of titles at San Domenico and become the Legends Tour’s King of Puglia! We are grateful for the support of the Italian Golf Federation and the Melpignano family. We are excited about our role in continuing to build on the success of the Ryder Cup in Italy. The Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open is an important part of our strong schedule in 2024 – we cannot wait to return to Puglia in October!”
The 2024 season will be the biggest to date on the Legends Tour – with 19 events and a record-breaking prize pot of more than €18m.
There are new venues such as Barbados, Mexico, Zambia and Kenya on the schedule as well as returns to destinations such as Seapoint Golf Links and Trump International, Scotland.
