Animated Italian not shy to bring winner's high spirits to event

Two occasions are stand-outs in Costantino Rocca's career: the sight of him pummelling the green with his hands after sinking a long putt to force John Daly into a British Open play-off in 1995, and his joy at beating Tiger Woods in Ryder Cup singles in Spain two years later.

The Italian professional with a passion for soccer - a fan of Serie side A Atalanta - Rocca lost to the American at St Andrews, but it thrust him into the golfing spotlight where he distinguished him self, particularly in his three Ryder Cup appearances.

The Italian had found he was equally adept at potting a little white ball as netting the larger white one.

The Bergamo-based player teed up at The Belfry in 1993, Oak Hill in 1995, and 1997 at Valderrama where he surprised the critics by taking Tiger Woods to the cleaners 4 and 2 in the singles. He was a member of two winning European teams, in 1995 and 1997. In 1995, he holed out in one at the Oak Hill event, one of only three players to perform the feat in Ryder Cup history.

'Golf is a great sport, it's complete, and with the right mentality and the right preparation anyone can get good results. Psychology, technique and fitness training are the secrets of my game,' said Rocca afterwards.

The 44-year-old, who turned professional in 1981, should know. He came up the hard way before capturing the hearts and imagination of fans in the British Open, winning the Volvo PGA Championship the next year and the European Masters in 1997.