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| Canonica,
Costantino Rocca’s heir |
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Article
published on the Italian monthly magazine
Capital
(April 2001) |
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Emanuele "Dynamite"
Canonica
Carolina Durante |
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Emanuele Canonica did not need too
much time to think about it, before deciding to fly overseas
to pursue his childhood dream.
The PGA Tour, in golf terms, is like saying Formula 1 in car
racing or like the World Cup for skiing: the top. For most,
an unreachable goal. For he, who was still a tiny boy but whom
already imitated Nicklaus’
and Ballesteros’ swing in
the Stupinigi practice field; a goal to reach.
The passion for golf was inculcated by his father Dino, one
of the best Italian pros of the 60’s, a charismatic and
gifted player full of talent and intemperance, all characteristics
that Emanuele “Peppo” has acquired an made his own,
along with an extraordinary power to hit the ball.
As an amateur, Peppo made part of the Italian team for five
years, and winning as a team (the Italian National Team) the
gold medal at the European Under 22 Championship in 1990, as
well as winning as a team the silver medal at the Europeans
Absolute in 1991.
Once turned 20 years old, it had become time to rise and pass
to professionalism.
After having built up with the experiences made in Europe, (first
at the Challenge Tour and then at the European Tour) and having
received the testimony from Costantino Rocca as our best spokesman
in the world, Peppo risked everything in a difficult undertaking
in which in the history of Italian golf, only the roman Roberto
Bernardini, in 1971, had been successful, but those were
other times.
First goal to achieve: the card, in other words the passport
to accede to the PGA Tour.
A very difficult selection, divided in three phases in which
only 35 out of 1000 contenders could enter the list. After having
overcome this obstacle this last December, he debuted on the
American scenarios on the 11th of January at the Tucson
Open in Arizona: a very promising start followed by an
almost physiological lack of efficiency.
“The
game was good, because during practice I was in good shape,
but when it was time to play I bogged down in front of the first
difficulties,” telling us this after having reached his
first success.
In fact after five competitions played, in Los Angeles, at the
Nissan Open, Canonica has already
come very close to the disparity for victory, being excluded
by only one shot: for a rookie (debuting at the tour,)who has
come from “that little Italy” of golf, there is nothing
to complain about.
Who is Emanuele
Canonica
Born in Turin, January 7th 1971.
Married to Antonella Cerri (March 2000).
Passed to professionalism at the end of 1991.
Results: For three years in a row (98’- 2000) he beat the
statistics as the longest shooter of the European Tour;
3rd place at the Italian Open in 1995;
in the year 2000 he collects five placements in the top ten
in Europe, among which the 2nd place at the Deutsche bank Sap
Open in Germany, in front of Tiger Woods.
He closes the season placing himself 27th in the order of merit.
In December 2000 he obtains the card to play the American PGA
Tour and in the first two months of tournaments in the United
States the places himself 7th at the Nissan Open (113,900 dollars).
Earnings: in Europe (1992-2000) 939.275 Euro equal to 1.818.700.000
Italian Lira; in the Unites States (until the 28th of February)
119,180 dollars equal to 254.000.000 Italian Lira.
Hobby: he is a great cook; besides, to relax in between competitions,
he loves to go fishing and a couple of times a year he also
enjoys going hunting. |
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