Francesco Laporta is an Italian pro who has spent most of his career in Europe on the DP World Tour and the Challenge Tour. Discover more about his life and career to this point via these facts.
FRANCESCO LAPORTA FACTS
1. Laporta was born in Castellana Grotte, Italy on October 10, 1990.
2. He still lives there and belongs to San Domenico Golf, which is a short drive away out towards the east coast. Laporta calls the trip the “best drive in the world.”
3. As a child, Laporta spent a lot of time in South Africa, spending up to six months a year there while visiting his uncle. As a result, he occasionally mixed an Italian and South African accent when speaking English.
4. He first picked up a golf club in South Africa as a 13-year-old and was instantly hooked. Luckily, a new golf course was built near his Italian home shortly after so he could begin playing all year round.
5. Laporta played in a few pro tournaments on the Alps Tour as an amateur before turning professional in 2013 and joining the Sunshine Tour.
6. Between 2013 and 2015, he played on the Sunshine Tour and enjoyed a best finish of T2nd at the 2013 Zimbabwe Open where he also set a course record 63 (-9).
7. Laporta earned his first crack at the DP World Tour via Q-School in 2015 after coming through all three stages and securing the 15th card at Final Stage. However, he lost his card 12 months later and headed to the Challenge Tour.
8. His first professional victory was at the Italian National Open Championship on the Italian Pro Tour. Laporta won by four strokes.
9. After a multi-year spell on the Challenge Tour, Laporta claimed his first victory at the 2019 Hainan Open, winning by one stroke.
10. Less than a month later, he won the Challenge Tour Grand Final event to rubberstamp his promotion back to the DP World Tour.
11. Laporta says his hero is Seve Ballesteros, having watched the movie about the Spanish legend’s life and been inspired by his work ethic and attitude towards the game.
12. Away from golf, Laporta likes to play football and volleyball with his friends and is a huge fan of Italian soccer club, Inter Milan.
13. Laporta has represented Italy at both amateur and professional level. In 2011, he competed in the European Amateur Team Championship and in 2018, Laporta played in the European Championships.
14. His third Challenge Tour victory arrived at the 2023 Big Green Egg German Challenge, where he once again triumphed by a single stroke.
