Francesco Laporta News & More

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4yItaly’s Francisco Laporta came up short in his bid to secure his first European Tour title, carding a bogey-free, 3-under 69 on Sunday at the AVIV Dubai Championship to finish one stroke behind winner Joachim Hansen.

The 31-year-old Italian, who finished second in the same event last year after coming up two strokes shy of 2020 winner Antoine Rozner, shared the 54-hole lead with Hansen after opening with rounds of 66-64-67. His second-place finish vaulted Laporta into the top 50 in the Race to Dubai (35th) and boosted his confidence ahead of this week’s season finale at the DP World Tour Championship. “It sounds a bit crazy going into the DP World Tour Championship because a few months ago I was struggling to get my card,” he said. “Then I played solid at the Italian Open (4th) and Wentworth (T-6). The goal was to play the Race to Dubai finale and now I’m 35th so I have a good chance to finish in the top 25 for next week. So now that’s my third goal: First was to keep my card, second was to play the DP World Tour Championship and third one to finish top 25, so I’m 10spots away and need a good week.” On the season, Laporta has made 14 cuts in 25 starts with five top 10s including a solo seventh at the Portugal Masters two weeks ago. This will mark his first appearance in the season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth Course.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

4yFrancesco Laporta kept his foot on the gas with a 3-under-par 34-35=69 during round three of the BMW PGA Championship, good for the 54-hole lead as sits on 14-under 202 ahead of the finale.

The Italian secured his card last week with a solo 4th in his home open and that momentum has carried over to Wentworth. “I’m feeling more relaxed. Last week was by far more pressure on me. Anyway, I got my card for near and I feel more comfortable now and actually I’m playing better.” Laporta got the job done today with steady striking (11-of-14 fairways, 14 greens). The 30-year-old has five career top 10s in 73 European Tour appearances and looks to be on the verge of back-to-back this week. Laporta is still in search of his maiden win on the big stage and he’ll start the final round with eight golfers within three shots of his lead and 11 others within five.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

4yFrancesco Laporta cruised to a bogey-free, 7-under-par 32-33=65 during round two of the BMW PGA Championship, good for a two-day tally of 11-under 133 which has him in a share of second place alongside Laurie Canter.

The Italian piped 11-of-14 fairways and landed 14 greens in regulation today. Five of his seven birdies came at the par 4s. Some early short-game savves helped him find his groove. “I made a couple up-and-downs. It was great to get off with two pars on the first and the second and after that, just to may fantastic golf and I think I only made a couple bad shots and it was perfect. Short game was pretty good. Just try to keep going for the weekend.” The 30-year-old has five career top 10s in 73 starts but is still searching for his first win on the European Tour.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

4yItaly’s Francesco Laporta rebounded from back-to-back missed cuts in European Tour action to finish solo fourth on home soil last week at the DS Automobiles Italian Open, two strokes behind first-time winner Nicolai Hojgaard.

After missing the cut in the Hero Open and Omega European Masters, the 30-year-old Laporta carded four straight rounds under par at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, site of the 2023 Ryder Cup. He recorded two birdies over his final three holes to post a 3-under 68 on the final day (11-under 273 total) and finish as the leading Italian, one stroke ahead of Edoardo Molinari (T-5). On the season, the two-time Challenge Tour winner has made 10 cuts in 19 starts with one other top 10 – a T-4 at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in March. This week will mark his tournament debut in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the third Rolex Series event of the year. Currently ranked No. 264 in the world rankings, Laporta jumped to 75th in the Race to Dubai standings with his top-five finish, up 49 spots from 124th.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

5yFrancesco Laporta backed up his recent European Tour good form with a 2-under-par 35-33=68 in the second round of the Saudi International, good for a halfway total of 5-under 135 and T4 on the live leaderboard.

Another smart day’s work for the Italian at Royal Greens G&CC and one which lifted him ten spots in the live scoring. Early on his movement was slow as he scratched six pars and then made a bogey at the seventh. But he circled three holes in the next six, at the seventh, tenth and 13th, before adding five pars to the close. The 29-year-old closed the 2019 Challenge Tour in sensational style and is replicating it at the higher level. Moreover, after contending in Abu Dhabi, but then fading, he is suggesting he has not lost the form or been scared of such heights. And after making one ET top 20 in his first 31 starts, he is now looking at making a fourth in nine.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

5yFrancesco Laporta returns to Euro Tour action in the Saudi International at Royal Greens G&CC.

The Italian winner of the 2019 Challenge Tour didn’t play the Dubai Desert Classic, but it wasn’t out of choice. Instead, the field was so strong his category didn’t get a look in. That seems remarkable and yet it’s the case. Quite what effect a week sitting on his fingers will have is anyone’s guess, but don’t overlook or forget him. He was, after all, the man who surprised everyone by leading the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after 36 holes and often looked in good shape over the weekend before finishing T17. His 63 in round two there was particularly good and a reminder that he won twice in his last three starts of the 2019 season on the second tier.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

5yFrancesco Laporta overcame early wobbles to card 3-under-par 36-33=69 and join Bernd Wiesberger in T2 on 13-under 203 in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, just one shot back of leader Lee Westwood.

The Italian was in new territory at the start of the day. Only once before had he been in the top five at a European Tour event during the weekend and then not for long. He had started round three at the 2016 Trophee Hassan II one shot clear of the field and shot 76-78 to end the week T22. When he made double bogey-6 at the second those memories must have be reawakened but he stood tall. He didn’t make birdies, but he didn’t drop further shots either. He ticked the par-5 eighth and then the 12th to get back to level-par and then finished strongly. He had a kick-in birdie at 16 and drained from 30’0" at 17. Alas he could only make par at the last so did not join the lead, but he will play in the final group on Sunday. He is seeking a first ET top five on Sunday.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

5yFrancesco Laporta thrashed a brilliant 9-under-par 33-30=63 to claim the 36 hole lead in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on 10-under 134, one swing clear of Matt Fitzpatrick and Rafa Cabrera Bello.

The 2019 Challenge Tour #1 graduate has only ever played 38 times on the European Tour since his debut in 2010 and in the first 31 he recorded just one top 20. He was then T7 in the 2018 Sicilian Open and again T7 in last year’s Italian Open, but he missed the other five cuts and that spell said much about his career. However on debut here at Abu Dhabi GC he has shown that he learned much towards the end of last season, when winning twice in the final three starts. He started nicely with birdies at the second and third, then ninth and 11th. But he finished like a train with five consecutive par breakers. At the last he gave himself a 45’0" look at an eagle, raced it 8’0" by, but holed the birdie putt. A huge weekend awaits him. “Every time I was putting for birdie, I made it,” he said.” It was a great day.”

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

5yFrancesco Laporta returns to a country he has plenty of experience of, for the South African Open at Randpark GC in Johannesburg.

Back in 2016 the Italian went 7-for-19 in a rookie European Tour campaign that saw him end the year ranked 189th and in need of consolidation at lower levels. Two efforts on the Challenge Tour gave only very vague hints that he could graduate, finishing 52nd and 48th in 2017 and 2018, but then last year he hit his straps, grabbing seven top tens, including two wins, to top the rankings and claim the first card. Those two wins came in his final three events of the 2019 season and yet he opened 2020 with a missed cut in the Alfred Dunhill Championship so he will be keen to get back on the form bike. He’s very far from being a stranger to the country, having racked up 33 starts there, mostly on the Sunshine Tour, but he has a poor record with just ten cuts made and only two top 20s – his best in a European Tour co-sanctioned event is T16 in the 2017 Joburg Open.

Francesco Laporta

GOLF Golfer

6yFresh from winning the Challenge Tour Grand Final in Spain and securing top spot in the Race to Mallorca, Francesco Laporta brings his shiny, new European Tour card to this week’s 2020 season opener in South Africa, the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek.

The 29-year-old Italian produced a late surge to finish as the second tier’s top dog, taking victory in October’s Hainan Open in China with 14-under before, two starts later, battling it out to land the Grand Final by two shots with 6-under. Wind back to September and he also scored back-to-back top threes in Challenge Tour events in France and Portugal so he’s been in excellent form for some time. Laporta does actually have past experience of Leopard Creek having played here in 2013 and 2015, missing the cut both times but shooting 71 in his second round four years ago. More positive news comes from noting that he took fourth place in the local Sunshine Tour’s Dimension Data Pro-Am in February, 2018.

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