Matteo Manassero is an Italian golfer who gained international recognition at a remarkably young age. Currently ranked 133rd on the OWGR, the Italian was the youngest golfer in 2010 to win on the European Tour (now DP World Tour) and has a total of eight wins in his professional career. But like every other golfer, Manassero’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. While his resilience and perseverance are evident, he could not have made it this far without his support system, who are often doing the work behind closed curtains.

Matteo Manassero’s support system on the course

He turned professional in 2010 and has had multiple people on his bag ever since his first victory. His first victory in the 2010 Castello Masters Costa Azahar and the one that followed at the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open saw Irishman Ryan McGuigan on his bag. He eventually parted ways with the Irishman after a missed cut at the 2011 Open Championship and went on to have several people on his bag, including his coach, Alberto Binaghi, temporarily.

But by the 2016 U.S. Open, Manassero found his comfort in Job Sugranes, who has been on his bag ever since. Job Sugranes also had a professional career in golf with four Challenge Tour appearances, but this stint was short. He eventually turned to being a golf coach, advisor, and head coach at the Barcelona Golf Academy, and also caddied for several players on the European Tour before teaming up with Matteo Manassero.

Initially, the duo did not have much success together on the course, but Sugranes’ knowledge and experience came in handy ultimately when Manassero won the Jonsson Workwear Open in 2024 after almost a decade since his last victory on the European Tour and his first since it changed to the DP World Tour. Manassero experienced a slump from 2013 onwards, despite making an appearance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and found himself constantly missing cuts. But having Sugranes on his bag saw him recover some of his form that we witnessed when he first burst onto the scene as a teenager.

While Sugranes helped Manassero win on the Alps Tour in 2020, clinching the title for the Toscana Alps Open, he missed out on being on his bag for Manassero’s two victories on the Challenge Tour in 2023. Instead, his wife, Francesca, helped him achieve his victories at the Italian Open Challenge & the Copenhagen Challenge by being on his bag.

Who is Manassero’s wife, and other family members?

Manassero tied the knot with Francesca Apollonio in 2022. Manassero credits her for helping him find a life outside of golf, as he always felt the need to derive happiness from the game.

“Golf is a big part of my life. And I did feel down. I struggled to get joy and happiness from something that had always given me joy and happiness. So I had to find it somewhere else in life. I had to realize that I was not only about golf. And I really started to learn that when I met my girlfriend, now my wife. She taught me that there was something for me outside of golf,” he expressed, crediting Francesca for changing his perspective towards life.

Even post his win at the 2024 Jonsson Workwear Open, Manassero emphasized how much Francesca’s presence has been an important factor in regaining his momentum and being able to win again—”Put” simply, she was just there for me. You smile together, you laugh, you talk, and there’s more to just being extremely intense and focused on the outcome of every shot, which, at least for me, can become a little bit too much. Those factors helped me perform and made me bring out my A-game in difficult circumstances.”

The duo often spends a lot of time together exploring new places and outdoor activities. They even share a passion for yoga and fitness, as Francesca is also a certified fitness coach. Apart from looking up to his wife for overall health and wellness, Manassero credits his mind coach, Alessandra Averna, and his swing coach, James Rudyard, for helping him make the necessary changes he needed to make a comeback.

While not much is known about his parents, Roberto Manassero and Francesca Scandola, he credits them for his golfing career and for keeping him grounded through his golfing fame. They were even seen supporting him on the course, with his dad caddying for him at the 2010 Masters Par 3 contest.

While Manassero has had a strong system, without which it would have been impossible to even stay in the game, his perseverance has also helped him continue playing at the elite level.

Matteo Manassero’s perseverance fueled his comeback

Manassero was introduced to golf when he was just three. He had his first big moment when he won the 2009 British Amateur Championship when he was just 16. Undoubtedly the youngest-ever winner of the tournament, he even had the chance to play at the Open Championship in the same year and earned the silver medal for finishing tied 13th as the leading amateur. While he had an incredible start to his golfing career, the journey hasn’t been linear.

He won several events, including the 2013 BMW PGA Championship, which was its flagship event, and even rose to No. 25 in the world rankings. But post the 2016 Olympics, the Italian couldn’t find his footing due to changed equipment and alterations in his swing. He missed several cuts in a year and ultimately dropped his ranking to as low as 338th. He lost his cards on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and even on the Challenge Tour. But a reset and support from his family helped him turn things around.

With a win in 2020 at the Alps Open, followed by two more in 2023 on the Challenge Tour, Manassero found his form again. Post his win on the DP World Tour in 2024, he realized that one thing he has learned from his rollercoaster journey is to move his focus away from being result-oriented. He added that—“If you focus too much on results, you are never happy. When you win, OK, that is what you are supposed to do. But when things are going bad, there is nothing you can do right if you focus only on results,” emphasizing that results are merely a consequence of your hard work.