To his friends he's affectionately referred to as Peppo. Italy's favorite son, Costantino Rocca, dubs him Ercolino, meaning Little Hercules.   Call him whatever you'd like, but there is no one on the PGA TOUR quite like Emanuele Canonica. The Italian measures 5-foot-2 -- maybe 5-3 wearing spikes. Never mind that his peers overshadow him in stature, the TOUR's little big man launches drives in the same orbit with its longest hitters, including top gun John Daly. "My power is a gift of the good God," he says through interpreter and manager Guido Callioni.

This year his drives have averaged 289.9 yards, which is fifth best on the TOUR. Prior to securing his PGA TOUR card during last year's q-school, Canonica won three driving contests while on the European Tour.

At one point last season he was averaging 310 yards on the European Tour.

"I have very strong legs as a solid base for a very good rotation of shoulders, which gives me a very good speed of clubhead," he said. "I'm not sure being so tall helps to gain more clubhead speed."

During the first two rounds of last week's Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, his drives averaged 307 yards.
Too bad he didn't get to show off his prowess during the weekend at Forest Oaks Country Club -- Canonica fell two shots shy of making the cut.
Lately, he's used to being on the wrong end of close calls. Two weeks ago in Houston Canonica stumbled down the stretch and missed the cut by one shot.

"Let's forget the back nine in Houston the second day," he said. "Yes, I am getting better, but I need time."

Canonica's best performance to date came at the Nissan Open, where he placed seventh. He fired a final-round 67 and pocketed $113,900.
Golf and soccer were his sports of choice growing up in Torino, Italy. Eventually a stellar soccer career ended "because my golf game was better than my soccer game," he said.

According to Canonica, Italy has only 200 golf courses, but the game is startingto catch on. It must be. How else can you explain Canonica having a popular website (www.emanuelecanonica.com), which begins with the James Bond theme?

"The golf in Italy is getting a little more popular due to the results of Costantino," he said, referring to the 1995 British Open runner-up.
Canonica's father Dino played golf professionally and is the head pro at Stupinigi Country Club in Torino. So it was only natural his son follow in his footsteps.

"My father used to make me practice a lot in very constructive way, just not only hitting balls," Canonica said. "He won two Italian PGAs and some other tournaments. In Italy he is recognized as a good teacher, and years ago was president of the Italian PGA."

The younger Canonica turned professional in 1991 and became a regular on the European Tour in 1995 when he recorded a season-best third place in the Conte de Florence Italian Open. Although he had to return to the European Tour q-school in 1998, Canonica continued to build toward an attempt at the PGA TOUR.

Three top-10 performances on the 1999 European Tour moved him in the right direction. Seeking counsel from Butch Harmon didn't hurt, either.

One of the game's most renowned golf instructors, Harmon met with Canonica and his Italian coach, Giorgio Bordoni, in December of 1999 in Las Vegas. Basically, Canonica was in Harmon's classroom for a week -- working on control and improving his game from 120 yards in while also developing a fitness program geared toward stamina, strength and flexibility.

Harmon's crash course helped Canonica finish 19th on the European's Order of Merit in 2000. He posted three top-five finishes, including runner-up to Lee Westwood in the Deutsch Bank-SAP Open.

Canonica's dream to play in the United States became a reality when he went birdie-birdie to successfully cap off q-school and a tie for 31st place last December.

He and his wife Antonella are adjusting to life away from Italy. While he's working on the PGA TOUR, the couple is also getting treated to a sightseeing trip.

So far, they like what they've seen and are seriously considering buying a home along the East Coast. And, Canonica is making new friends. Earlier this year Fred Funk and John Cook invited him aboard their plane to Los Angeles.
"The players are very kind with me and I like them," he said. "John knows Guido and we talked about golf in general in the U.S. and Europe. You know, golfers' talk."

This is where he wants to be.

"In the United States I'm able to play with the best in the world," he said. "I want to play in the U.S., but I am going to play some in Europe after the Verizon Byron Nelson [Classic]. I'll go straight to Germany to play in the Deutsch Bank Open and the Volvo European PGA.
"Costantino advised me to try for the card and he is my hero. I would like to accomplish at least what he did."