I’ve always loved golf, even when I didn’t realize it. I grew up in Caldogno, Italy, a little town near Vicenza and started playing the game with my parents at age 7. From the moment I hit that first shot, which I still vividly remember, I’ve tried to get better. I always tried to hit the ball farther. I always tried to hit the ball straighter. I was obsessed. 

In four short years I started playing national events, meaning that I had to upgrade from the nine-hole course in my hometown to an 18-hole course, which was an hour away. I had to find a way to get there and back home five days a week. Two years later, at age 14, I won the Italian Amateur. It was my first big milestone and one that put me onto the Italian National Team.

That allowed me to travel around Europe and the world to play on some of the biggest stages in women’s amateur golf. My younger sister, Benedetta, later joined me on the National Team, which made it so much more fun. We go to do it all together.

As I played better and had more opportunities, there became pressure to turn professional. But my parents always wanted me to get an education first. It was an easy decision for me because I wasn’t ready to turn pro. I had more I needed to experience.

I took an unofficial visit to the University of Alabama when I was 16 and I was blown away. I knew I needed to find a place where I could get better and the facilities there were amazing. The second I set foot on campus for that visit I knew that spending four years there would help get me where I wanted to go. Two years later, I moved to Tuscaloosa, where I spent five of the best years of my life.

The first year was rough though. It was a culture shock. Moving to a different country at such a young age created so many speedbumps. It made me empathetic to other Italians who find themselves in similar situations. 

I was the only freshman and European on the team and four of us were all ranked inside the top 30 in the world. But it made me much better, even when I didn’t think so. Competing alongside my teammates brought my game to a whole new level.

After the first semester I started to see better results, which was amazing. Our team lost in the championship matches of the NCAA Championship, but it was one of the highlights of my college career. I was just a freshman coming from Italy and, all of a sudden, we were getting media attention. It was so much fun, even though we did not win.

The next few years brought more changes. As a sophomore I was the only player who remained from the NCAA Championship team. Everyone else either turned pro or graduated so I started to work on myself individually, knowing that if I did the best I could, it would help the team.

There were more obstacles along the way. I caught a terrible case of COVID and had to sit out the entire spring semester of my senior year. I could hardly walk 18 holes because my breathing was so poor. I remember thinking my golf career was over and I started looking for jobs. I was offered a job in sales at a tech company in Miami and … I accepted!

I still went back to school for a fifth year and my game started to get better. After the season I resigned from the sales job, which I never even started.

Shoulder surgery later that year was another setback, but I healed quickly and was cleared to play golf again after three months.

I’m now in my third year on the Epson Tour. I love it. I like traveling and make sure that I find a good balance between playing and having a life outside of the game. I don’t want to make golf my whole identity. It’s not always easy, but I try my best.

I have big goals, just like everyone in professional golf. I want to play on the LPGA, win majors and, like some of my teammates at Alabama, I want to play in a Solheim Cup. But I refuse to look so far ahead and risk enjoying the journey of getting there.

My immediate goals are to play my best each week, be in contention as often as I can and have a chance to win a tournament. I think about all of these things on a daily basis. I try not to ever look ahead any farther than a week at a time. I know that the hard work is going to pay off sooner or later. I know everybody has their own time. I don’t want to compare myself to the other girls.

Recently I moved to Birmingham, Alabama and play out of Shoal Creek. It’s a wonderful place with a terrific professional development program. I’m surrounded by people who are doing the same thing that I am who all have similar goals and aspirations. It’s a big milestone for me in my career to practice there.

I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot in such a short time but feel like I have so many more great days, weeks and years ahead. I enjoy learning the lessons that this great game continues to teach me every day. But I cannot achieve all my goals without the help of family, friends and sponsors who believe in me and share my passion.

I have a lot to offer as part of a potential partnership and would love to find a way to share my story with others. Sponsoring a professional golfer with my experience can be advantageous and presents numerous opportunities like the following: brand exposure, visibility, corporate hospitality, media coverage, storytelling, targeted marketing, community engagement and philanthropy. 

Thank you in advance for any consideration in supporting me. I’m excited about this year ahead. Now back to the grind.