Gregorio de Leo is chasing his first-ever Challenge Tour win, and thereโs no better place to do it than on home soil.
The 24-year-old Italian golfer is gearing up for the Italian Challenge Open at the stunning Argentario Golf Club, and with friends, family, and fans cheering him on, heโs hoping to make this week one to remember.
De Leoโs been quietly climbing the ranks, sitting pretty at 35th in the Road to Mallorca Rankings. Lately, he’s been on fire, racking up two top-five finishes in back-to-back weeks. With that momentum, heโs got his sights set firmly on victory.
โItโs amazing to be back home after a lot of tournaments in a row,โ De Leo said. โWhen youโre playing at home, itโs always good.โ
Heโs not shy about his ambition either. โI hope to win one tournament, thatโs the only part thatโs missing this season. I came close in the last three events so Iโm playing really solid right now.โ
And with that win, heโd be inching closer to a top-20 finish in the Rankings, securing him a coveted DP World Tour card for next season.
โThe goal at the beginning of the season was to be in the top 20 at the end of the season to get my card for the DP World Tour, and a win would help me do that.โ
It hasnโt all been smooth sailing, though. De Leo admits he struggled at the start of the year, playing in tough events in South Africa, India, and Abu Dhabi.
โI struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year in South Africa, India and Abu Dhabi, but then when we got back to playing in Europe my game became better and better each week, so the goal remains the same and I can now say Iโm close to it.โ
But lately, heโs been reaping the rewards of some serious off-season grind. After a solid run on the Alps Tour in 2022โwhere he snagged three wins in one seasonโDe Leo is now seeing the fruits of his hard work.
โThe fact that I was training a lot during the winter and during this season, I think that was really helpful,โ he said. โThe scores didnโt come at the beginning of the year but this last part of the season, itโs really paying off.โ
As he preps for the Italian Challenge Open, De Leo knows the course wonโt be a walk in the park. The windโs going to make things tricky, so hitting fairways and mastering the par-fives will be key.
โThis week, hopefully that work keeps paying off as the course is going to be tricky with the amount of wind, so finding fairways will be important, and the par fives will be key.โ
Itโs not just about the home crowd, thoughโDe Leo will be facing a stacked field. Thereโs John Parry, currently second in the Road to Mallorca Rankings, five-time DP World Tour winner Alexander Levy from France, and Denmarkโs Lucas Bjerregaard, whoโs bagged two wins on the Global Tour.
De Leoโs first round kicks off at 1:20 pm local time, alongside Bjerregaard and Swedenโs Joakim Lagergren.
