Tournament: Italian Open
Venue: Argentario Golf Club, Monte Argentario, Italy
Race to Dubai: Tournament 24 of 42
European Swing: Tournament 5 of 6
Prize Fund: $3,000,000
Hashtag: #ItalianOpen #DPWT
Tournament Preview
Marcel Siem will defend a title for the first time in ten years when he tees it up in this week’s Italian Open at Argentario Golf Course.
The German won his sixth DP World Tour title in style last year, defeating Tom McKibbin in a play-off, continuing a career resurgence after winning the Hero Indian Open in 2023. The 44-year-old was unable to defend his title in India last year after undergoing surgery, meaning this will be his first title defence since 2015.
Siem will tee it up in the first two rounds alongside home favourite Guido Migliozzi and Frenchman Martin Couvra, who recently won his maiden DP World Tour title at the Turkish Airlines Open.
The Italian Open returns to Tuscany for the first time in 42 years, and this is the 100th anniversary edition of the event, which was first played in 1925. Siem’s compatriot Bernhard Langer, with whom he won the WGC-World Cup in 2006, was the last player to win the tournament when it was held in Tuscany.
Renato Paratore is making his first start on the DP World Tour since February as he tees it up in his national open. The Italian lost his full playing rights on golf’s global tour last season, but he currently leads the HotelPlanner Tour Rankings after winning in back-to-back weeks in the United Arab Emirates in April.
Englishman John Parry returns to the venue where he earned automatic promotion to the DP World Tour last season after securing his third HotelPlanner Tour victory of the campaign. He then won on his fourth start of the 2025 Race to Dubai at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, bridging a 14-year gap since his last DP World Tour victory at the 2010 Vivendi Cup, and now sits fourth on the Race to Dubai Rankings.
Player Quotes
Marcel Siem: “It’s fantastic. It’s always a special feeling to be able to defend your title. The last four weeks have been quite exciting, talking to my coaches and family about how I’m going to approach this. A few ideas. But at the end of the day, I’ll come here and try and do the same as I always do.
“Italian people are quite emotional, like me. They always smile at me and are happy to greet me. They have made me feel special.
“Unfortunately, the Open de France is the only tournament where I’ve been back to the same course to defend my title. In Morocco we changed to Rabat after Agadir, in China we went somewhere else as well. It weakens the feeling a little bit, because when you walk on the first tee or play the 18th there’s a different feeling because all the crazy memories come back up. It’s a little less emotional, but the title, the Italian Open is one of the oldest on Continental Europe, I think. So it’s something special and tomorrow morning on the first tee will be very, very cool.”
Renato Paratore: “At the moment it has been a really good year. I’m happy for the wins, my last one was in 2020, so it’s a good feeling. I’m in a good position going into this tournament, I’m going to enjoy it.
“The goal right now is to win the Order of Merit (on the HotelPlanner Tour). I have a lot of tournaments to go, and I’m excited for that.
“A lot of consistency, because when I play well it’s when I’ve been consistent. The long game, I’m still working a lot on.
“It would be a great feeling to come back to the DP World Tour. I love the atmosphere, the tournaments.”
John Parry: “It’s always nice when you feel like you know how to play the course before you’ve gone out. At least I have a good game plan, I know that. Last time here, I tried to be quite aggressive off the tee. The fairways are quite tight and the rough was high, but the greens aren’t very big so it was trying to leave yourself as many wedges, so that will be the plan this week.
“It gives you a positive feeling (winning here before) and you know the course suits you. I know if you play well, then the course suits everyone but definitely good memories and I know how to play here.
“To win three times in a year and put yourself in position a lot, any sort of competition and being under pressure, you know how to handle it. The more you get there, the more you understand what to do.”
