This is Stefano Mazzoli of Italy, who won the Corales Puntacana Championship on just his third PGA Tour start.
Winning on the PGA Tour is something many players never manage in a lifetime, yet he put his name in the winner’s circle in just his third start.
After turning professional, he mainly played on the Alps Tour, the DP World Tour’s third-tier circuit, where he picked up 3 wins, before moving to the Asian Tour in 2024, where he won Rookie of the Year.
(For reference, winner’s purses on the Alps Tour are typically only around 10 million won.)
By winning the 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship, held alongside The Open, he became a hero by achieving his first PGA Tour and European Tour wins simultaneously.
Table of Contents
Stefano Mazzoli Golf
Born December 27, 1996, in Montorfano, Italy, as an amateur in 2014 he won the European Boys’ Team Championship in Norway alongside Guido Migliozzi and Renato Paratore. In 2015, he won the European Amateur Championship in Slovakia, defeating Ireland’s Gary Hurley by one stroke, and this victory earned him a spot in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troyon Golf Club.
He was one of only two amateurs to compete in that event, marking his first-ever PGA stage appearance. Since the European Amateur Championship began in 1986, he became only the second Italian winner, the first since Massimo Scarpa in 1992.
During his time at TCU from 2015 to 2019, he was a regular starter on the team, contributing to 4 team wins, and in the 2019 season was named to the PING All-America Third Team. That same year, he also earned Big 12 All-Conference honors and was named to the PING All-Central Region Team.
In 2018, he received PING All-American Honorable Mention and advanced to the semifinals of the Jack Nicklaus Award. In 2018, he was also selected to the International Team for the Arnold Palmer Cup, where paired with Dewi Weber in a mixed foursomes match, he helped defeat the pairing of Andrea Lee and Collin Morikawa 1-up.
After turning professional in 2019, he joined the Challenge Tour, but spent most of his career on the third-tier Alps Tour. In 2020, he claimed his first professional win at the Red Sea Little Venice Open on the Alps Tour after a playoff, and in 2021 won his second title, also via playoff, at the Antognolla Alps Open. That same year, he also won the Italian PGA Championship.
In 2022, he won the Ain Bay Open by 2 strokes, his third career Alps Tour win, and earned a spot on the second-tier Challenge Tour for 2023 through the rankings. In 2024, he finished runner-up at the Open de Portugal, one stroke behind Matt Wallace… (translator’s note: name appears as “맷 오슈라인” in source, rendered here as written).
In 2024, he moved to the Asian Tour, recording multiple top finishes including a tie for 5th at the International Series Morocco and a tie for 6th at the Hong Kong Open, and was named the Asian Tour’s Rookie of the Year. In 2025, he finished 45th in the Asian Tour International Series rankings, and finished the season 8th on the HotelPlanner Tour (formerly the Challenge Tour), Europe’s second-tier circuit, earning his 2026 DP World Tour (European Tour) card.
Late in the 2025 season, at the HotelPlanner Tour’s Rolex Grand Final, he was in contention for the lead through the final round but finished runner-up, three strokes behind James Morrison. In 2026, Mazzoli began the season struggling, ranked 127th in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings.
However, on July 19, 2026, at the Corales Puntacana Championship, co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour, he fired a final-round 6-under 66 to finish at 20-under 268, claiming his first PGA Tour win and first DP World Tour win. He dramatically overtook England’s Todd Clements and America’s Gordon Sargent, who had led through the tournament, by one stroke.
Todd Clements had led by 5 strokes through the 12th hole, on the verge of his first-ever PGA win and second DP Tour win, but self-destructed with a double bogey on 13 and a bogey on 16. Meanwhile, Mazzoli completed a stunning comeback by sinking a 24-foot (7.3m) winning birdie putt on the 18th hole.
A player from the Alps Tour, the DP World Tour’s third tier, won in just his third career PGA Tour start, securing his PGA Tour card through 2027 and jumping in the DP World Tour Race to Dubai standings from 127th to 39th. His driving distance is unremarkable at around 300 yards, but his short game — long a weakness — has steadily improved as his career has progressed, culminating in this surprise win at the Corales Puntacana Championship, held alongside The Open.
Stefano Mazzoli Awards and Career
Career wins (5 total)
PGA Tour win (1) & European Tour (DP World Tour) win (1)
- July 19, 2026 – Corales Puntacana Championship, 20-under 268 (67-69-66-66), won by 1 stroke, runners-up Todd Clements and Gordon Sargent (co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour, counted for both tours)
Alps Tour wins (3)
- February 25, 2020 – Red Sea Little Venice Open, 15-under 201 (66-67-68), won in a playoff, runners-up Sam Robinson and Jonathan Yates
- April 30, 2021 – Antognolla Alps Open, 12-under 204 (72-71-61), won in a playoff, runners-up Filippo Bergamaschi, Alex Smalley (as written: “알렉스 에스마트헤스”), Paul McBride, Stefano Fitoni (as written)
- February 24, 2022 – Ain Bay Open, 14-under 202 (69-65-68), won by 2 strokes, runner-up Connor Purcell (as written: “코너 퍼셀”)
Other win (1): 2021 – Italian PGA Championship win
Amateur win: 2015 – European Amateur Championship win (19-under 269, by 1 stroke)
Best Major Championship Results
- The Open Championship – played in 2016, missed the cut (as an amateur at the time)
- The Masters Tournament – no appearances
- PGA Championship – no appearances
- U.S. Open – no appearances
Awards
- 2024 – Asian Tour Rookie of the Year
- 2019 – PING All-America Third Team
- 2019 – Big 12 All-Conference
- 2019 – PING All-Central Region Team
- 2018 – PING All-America Honorable Mention
- 2018 – PING All-Central Region Team
- 2018 – Big 12 All-Conference
- 2018 – Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist
- 2018 – Arnold Palmer Cup selection
Stefano Mazzoli Club WITB
- Driver – Callaway TD Quantum 10.5° & AI Smoke 10.5° (Fujikura Ventus shaft)
- Wood – Callaway APEX UW 21°
- Irons – Callaway
- Wedges – Callaway
- Putter – Callaway
- Shoes – FootJoy / Apparel – FootJoy
Stefano Mazzoli Schedule
- 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship winner’s purse $720,000 – total purse $4 million
- Venue: Puntacana Resort & Club
With his 2026 Corales Puntacana Championship win, he has secured PGA Tour playing rights through 2027, and he is expected to compete in remaining PGA Tour and DP World Tour events for the rest of the season. Specific plans for his next tournament have not been confirmed.
“I’m just grateful and honored to win on Tour. This is a moment I’ve dreamed of since I was young. I’m happy to be playing on this stage (the PGA Tour) next year, and I’ll see what happens from here.” — from his winning interview
Golf Stefano Mazzoli BIO
- English name – Stefano Mazzoli
- Date of birth – December 27, 1996 (age 30)
- Hometown – Montorfano, Italy / Nationality – Italy
- Education – Graduated from Liceo Michelangelo, Texas Christian University (2015–2019)
- Height / Weight / Blood type –
- Current tours – PGA Tour, European Tour (DP World Tour) / Former tours – Asian Tour, Challenge Tour, Alps Tour
- Pro debut year – 2019
- SNS – Instagram @ssmazzoli
- Reference – Wikipedia
- Career-high world ranking – 367th (as of 2025 season)
