Emanuele Canonica
Encyclopedia
Emanuele Canonica is an Italian
professional golf
er.
Canonica was born at Moncalieri
in the province of Turin
in the Piedmont
region. He won the Italian National Juniors Championship in 1990 and was part of the gold medal winning Italian team at the European Youths' Championship that year. He turned professional in 1991.
Having played in several Challenge Tour
events, Canonica qualified for the 1995 European Tour
at the 1994 qualifying school
. He initially struggled to keep his tour card, finishing 117th on the Order of Merit in each of his first two seasons. 121st place the following year meant limited playing opportunities in 1998, but after regaining full playing status via qualifying school his performances improved, finishing 70th on the money list in 1999 and then a career best 27th in 2000.
A disappointing 2001, where he played just 11 events and finished 132nd on the money list, meant another season with fewer tournament invitations in 2002. He made the most of the invites he did receive with three top 10 finishes, including the Canarias Open de España
where he was joint runner up, to end the season in 52nd place on the Order of Merit and regain his European Tour card. In 2005 he won for the first time on the European Tour at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles
, securing his place on tour for two years.
Despite his relatively small stature, Canonica has topped the European Tour driving distance statistics several times. In April 2009, he caddied
for José María Olazábal
at the Masters Tournament.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er.
Canonica was born at Moncalieri
Moncalieri
Moncalieri is a town and comune of approximately 58,000 inhabitants about eight kilometers directly south of downtown Turin , in Piedmont, Italy. It is notable for its castle, built in the 12th century and enlarged in the 15th century, which later became the favorite residence of Maria Clotilde...
in the province of Turin
Province of Turin
The Province of Turin is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Turin.It has an area of 6,830 km², and a total population of 2,277,686 . There are 315 comuni in the province – the most of any province in Italy...
in the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
region. He won the Italian National Juniors Championship in 1990 and was part of the gold medal winning Italian team at the European Youths' Championship that year. He turned professional in 1991.
Having played in several Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...
events, Canonica qualified for the 1995 European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
at the 1994 qualifying school
Qualifying school
In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...
. He initially struggled to keep his tour card, finishing 117th on the Order of Merit in each of his first two seasons. 121st place the following year meant limited playing opportunities in 1998, but after regaining full playing status via qualifying school his performances improved, finishing 70th on the money list in 1999 and then a career best 27th in 2000.
A disappointing 2001, where he played just 11 events and finished 132nd on the money list, meant another season with fewer tournament invitations in 2002. He made the most of the invites he did receive with three top 10 finishes, including the Canarias Open de España
Open de España
The Open de España is the national open golf championship of Spain. It was founded in 1912 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the inception of the Tour in 1972. Except for a five year period in the early 1980s, the tournament has been played in April or May. In 2005 it was one...
where he was joint runner up, to end the season in 52nd place on the Order of Merit and regain his European Tour card. In 2005 he won for the first time on the European Tour at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles
Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles
The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles is a European Tour golf tournament which is played at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. The tournament was founded in 1999 as the Scottish PGA Championship, and despite maintaining the same sponsor, has since changed name on several occasions, as Diageo...
, securing his place on tour for two years.
Despite his relatively small stature, Canonica has topped the European Tour driving distance statistics several times. In April 2009, he caddied
Caddy
In golf, a caddy is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin...
for José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
at the Masters Tournament.
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of Victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 Aug 2005 2005 European Tour The 2005 European Tour was the 34th golf season since the European Tour officially began in 1972. The 2005 season consisted of 47 official money events, which was a new record total. This included four major championships and three World Golf Championships, which were also sanctioned by the PGA Tour... |
Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles is a European Tour golf tournament which is played at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. The tournament was founded in 1999 as the Scottish PGA Championship, and despite maintaining the same sponsor, has since changed name on several occasions, as Diageo... |
2 strokes |  Nicolas ColsaertsNicolas Colsaerts Nicolas Colsaerts is a Belgian professional golfer.Colsaerts was born in Schaerbeek, Belgium. He turned professional in 2000, the day of his 18th birthday and went on to gain his European Tour card...  Bradley DredgeBradley Dredge Bradley Dredge is a Welsh professional golfer.Dredge was born in Tredegar. He turned professional in 1996.Dredge attempted to gain his card on the European Tour via the qualifying school in 1995 and 1996, the second time doing sufficiently well to gain a place on the Challenge Tour for 1997...  Barry LaneBarry Lane Barry Lane is an English professional golfer.Lane was born in Hayes, Middlesex. He turned professional in 1976 and first played on the European Tour in 1982. For the first few seasons he failed to finish high enough on the Order of Merit to retain his card and he made several visits to the... David Lynn |
Team appearances
- Alfred Dunhill CupAlfred Dunhill CupThe Alfred Dunhill Cup was a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000. It was for three man teams of professional golfers, one team representing each country, and was promoted as the "World Team Championship". It was a "special approved event" on the European Tour, which means that it was...
(representing Italy): 1996, 1999 - World Cup (representing Italy): 1999, 2006
- Seve TrophySeve TrophyThe Seve Trophy is a biennial golf tournament between teams of professional male golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and Continental Europe. It is named after five times major winner Seve Ballesteros, the most successful golfer ever from Continental Europe who was one of the key...
(representing Continental Europe): 20052005 Seve TrophyThe 2005 Seve Trophy took place between 22-25 September at Wynyard Golf Club, in North East England. The team captain for Great Britain and Ireland was Colin Montgomerie, with the captain for Continental Europe being José María Olazábal. The overall tournament host was Seve Ballesteros as he was...