Ryder Cup star Andy Sullivan and Eddie Pepperell, already a winner on the European Tour this season, are preparing to head to the sunshine island of Sicily in May after being the latest names to be confirmed for the 2018 Rocco Forte Sicilian Open at Verdura Resort.
The English pair will join a star-studded line-up including defending champion Spain’s Alvaro Quirós who will gather at the exclusive resort for the event, which will take place from May 10-13.
Sullivan, who will be making his debut in the event, is a three-time winner on the European Tour, with the highlight of his career coming in 2016 when he qualified for Darren Clarke’s European Ryder Cup team that took on the United States at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Pepperell enjoyed the best season of his career in 2017 – including registering four top-10 finishes in five starts in September and October – and has followed that up this year by winning his first European Tour title at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters to move inside the world’s top 100 rankings.
Sullivan said: “I’ve spoken to a lot of guys who played in the inaugural event last year and they only had good things to say about the golf course and resort. Verdura looks like a sensational place to play golf and I can’t wait to get out there and enjoy some sun on my back.”
Pepperell added: “It was a great feeling to get my first win under my belt this season, and I’m hoping to build on that. I am looking forward to returning to Verdura, I enjoyed the course last year and it’s one of the events of the season where you look forward to experiencing the resort and Sicily as a destination, as well as hopefully having a good week on the course.”
Verdura Resort will be hosting the 2018 Rocco Forte Sicilian Open for the second year running, with the tournament again being played on a composite course combining the finest holes from the resort’s two award-winning 18-hole championship courses, the East Course and West Course.
