Costantino Rocca
Constantino Rocca (born in Bergamo on 4 December 1956) is the most successful golfer that Italy has produced. He started out as a caddy, winning the Italian Caddie Championship in 1978, and turned professional in 1981 at the age of 24.
Career outline
In the 1980s Rocca struggled to retain a European Tour card and made several trips to the Qualifying School. He began to make major strides in his career in 1990, which was the first season that he finished high enough on the Order of Merit to gain a tour card automatically. By 1993 he has risen to sixth in the Order of Merit, and his two best seasons were 1995 and 1996, when he finished fourth. He won five titles on the tour, the first of which was the 1993 Open de Lyon and the most prestigious of which was the 1996 Volvo PGA Championship. In 1995 he sank a 60 foot (18 metre) putt on the 18th at St Andrews to make the birdie he needed force a play-off with the American John Daly, but Daly took the title. Since the turn of the Millenium age has begun to catch up with Rocca and he has fallen out of the top hundred on the Order of Merit. He will be eligible to play senior golf in 2007.
Rocco was the first Italian to play for Europe in the Ryder Cup, and remains the only Italian to do so. He appeared in 1993, 1995 and 1997, and had a 6-5-0 win-loss-half record, including 1 win and 2 losses in singles matches. That one singles win came in a crucial match against Tiger Woods in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama, which Rocca won 4 & 2 to help Europe claim the cup.
European Tour wins
- 1993 Open de Lyon, Peugeot Open de France
- 1996 Volvo PGA Championship
- 1997 Canon European Masters
- 1999 West of Ireland Golf Classic
Other professional wins
- 1984 National Omnium
- 1985 Enichem Open, National Omnium
- 1986 Pinetina Open, National Omnium
- 1987 Index Open, National Omnium
- 1988 Rolex Pro-Am (Switzerland), National Omnium
- 1989 National Omnium
All in Italy except where noted.
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1993, 1995 (winners), 1997 (winners)
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Italy): 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1999
- World Cup (representing Italy): 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999
- Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1984
- Europcar Cup: 1988