Alessandro Tadini fired a closing round of 67 to win the 20th-anniversary edition of the AEGEAN Messinia Pro-Am at Costa Navarino, while former world No. 1 Ian Woosnam attended as a special guest at the 54-hole tournament in Greece’s southwest Peloponnese.
The event ran from June 24-27 and drew 59 teams from 21 countries to compete across three of Costa Navarino’s four 18-hole courses: The Dunes Course, The Hills Course and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course. Each team consisted of one professional and three amateurs, competing for a share of a €64,000 prize fund.
Tadini’s record-equalling third win
Tadini, from the PGA of Italy, finished at 16-under-par to beat compatriot Emanuele Canonica by one stroke. Canonica had held a one-shot lead entering the final day, but Tadini’s 67 earned him a record-equalling third victory in the event.
“I am so happy because it has been a long, long time since I can remember playing so well,” Tadini said. “The big difference was my putting, and I had amazing feel all week. This pro-am is the biggest one that I know of and I love coming here.”
Canonica found consolation in the team competition, where his squad amassed 268 Stableford points to win by two.
Woosnam headlines the week
Woosnam, the 1991 Masters champion and captain of Europe’s victorious 2006 Ryder Cup team, took part in a “Battle of Navarino” Challenge with fellow Welshman Mark Mouland and joined a Q&A session with Sky Sports Golf presenter Kit Alexander.
“It’s wonderful being here,” Woosnam said. “I’ve been to a lot of places around the world and played a lot in some great destinations, but this is truly one of the best for me. I’ve played all the courses and they are fantastic.”
Two decades of growth
The tournament was created in 2006 as the AEGEAN Airlines Pro-Am, following inspiration from Theodore Vassilakis, founder of AEGEAN, and Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos, founder of Costa Navarino. It relocated to Costa Navarino in 2010 and, in 2022, joined with the Messinia Pro-Am to become today’s AEGEAN Messinia Pro-Am. Since launch, the event has attracted 2,478 players from 39 countries.
The Confederation of Professional Golf sanctions the pro-am, with backing from the Hellenic Golf Federation and PGA of Greece, and it remains one of the most established tournaments on the European destination-golf calendar. AEGEAN acted as title sponsor and official air carrier.
Away from the fairways, players and their families enjoyed the revamped accommodation at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino alongside the destination’s gastronomy, leisure and cultural experiences, with a social programme that included a welcome reception and prize-giving ceremony.
Dates for the 2027 AEGEAN Messinia Pro-Am will be announced later this year.
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.