Long wait finally over for Italian Canonica

ITALY’S Emanuele Canonica has been the European Tour’s biggest hitter four times but yesterday finally achieved what he wanted above all - a tournament victory.

Canonica, a runner-up in 230 previous events stretching back to 1989 and thinking of giving up at the end of last year, came from two behind to win the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

And then the 34-year-old from Turin - at five feet four inches the smallest player on the circuit by half an inch from Ian Woosnam - revealed that former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli was among those who had persuaded him to keep going.