A look at the 20 top players in the world of Golf today: Matteo Manassero
Youngest golfer to win a European Tour even Matteo Manassero was born on 19th April 1993 is a professional Italian golfer. Manassero was born in Negrar, the province of Verona. Matteo Manassero spent his early teens working with Italian national
golf coach Alberto Binaghi. Manassero was ready to get on the international scene when he was in his mid-teens.
Manassero first felt the spotlight about a month after turning 16 when he played in the BMW Italian Open on the European Tour as an amateur. Over the next few months he finished inside the top 20. Manassero cemented his place as one of the brightest up-and-comers
in golf. He was still 16 when he defeated England’s Sam Hutsby in the final to become the youngest ever winner of the British Amateur Championship. He also won a silver medal and finished tied for 13th place in the 2009 Open championship, playing
alongside Tom Watson and Sergio Garcia. Later that year he topped the World Amateur Golf Rankings and remained number 1 for 18 weeks until he became professional.
In 2009, Manassero was part of a small delegation of golfers who addressed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), urging the IOC to accept golf as an Olympic sport.
In 2010 Manassero broke Bobby Cole’s record of 43 years to become the youngest player ever to make the cut at the Masters Tournament. Manassero at the time was 16 years and 22 days nearly two years younger than Cole at the 1967 Masters. Manassero made his
professional debut at the age of 17, featuring in the BMW Italian Open. The Castello Masters Costa Azahar in Valencia, Spain was the first victory for Manassero over Ignacio Garrido. The victory made Manassero the youngest ever to win a European Tour beating
Danny lee.
In 2010 UBS Hong Kong Open, Manassero was one stroke behind Ian Poulter and tied for second. In the same year he won Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year. His second European Tour win came in 2011 while he was still 17 years of age, making him the first and
second on the list of youngest European Tour winners.
The Spaniard is also a role model for young golfers. Manassero has backed Abu Dhabi Golf Club's plans to develop young talent through its Future Falcons program. “The age of top pros is decreasing all the time, so it is more important than ever to develop
young golfers,” said Manassero, who represent Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority. Watched by dozens of junior golfers keen to emulate their hero, Manassero played the 18th hole of the tournament course in Abu Dhabi to promote the program.
Although he is had had success at such a young age, he does not seem to take any undue pressure from the fact. On the contrary it is the very thing that drives and motivates his young mind to perform at the highest level. Manassero has still a long way
ahead of him, all he needs to do is keep on concentrating on his game and not let anything else deter his focus.
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