Open d’Italia: what a surprise, among the 300 volunteers there is also Michael Mair

The former ski champion, three victories in the World Cup, and today coach of the blue downhill is a great fan of this discipline and Marco Simone made himself available: “I wanted to be in the middle of the game. And now I dream of Ryder. … ”

At Marco Simone there are about 300 volunteers. A thousand different tasks, blue t-shirt, white hat, blue jacket if it rains or is cold. Among them there is a man of sixty years and almost two meters who plays golf quite well – he is 7 handicap – but on skis he was even better: 3 victories in the World Cup in downhill (2) and SuperG (1). It’s Michael “Much” Mair, today he is the blue downhill coach. “What am I doing here? Simple, I love golf, I discovered it 35 years ago thanks to Ivan Marzola who was in the team with me. He wanted me to play and I said, but no, it’s a sport for old people … The usual things you say when you don’t know golf. Which then became a real passion. I have lived in Rome for three decades, I play at the Parco de ‘Medici, even though I like to shoot. More than a player, I define myself as a good digger… (lie, a handicap 7 is a phenomenon among amateurs, ed). There are many skiers like me who play: Paolo De Chiesa, Pierino Gros. Ghedina tried but then she doesn’t have the head, she got bored after three or four holes, took off her shoes, got mad. Cars are good for him, not golf ”.

Socialize

Much says he loves everything about golf. The possibility of walking in beautiful places, playing in company: “The English did golf to socialize. This is the most important thing. Then you need to know that it is a sport in which the head is most important, the difference between playing good and bad is minimal. I play at least three times a week, especially in the spring. Then maybe I don’t play for a month, it depends. Here in Rome I volunteered to be in the middle of the game. I brought the scoreboard, I helped a TV cameraman with the camera. Here I have many friends, even among the players, it was very nice to be among them. My dream now is to volunteer at next year’s Ryder Cup, also here at Marco Simone. As a golfer, having a small role in such a big event would be fantastic … “.

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