Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Rocco Forte Hotels’ Sicilian jewel, has been selected as the preferred course for the prestigious 2012 Sicilian Open.

The tournament, part of the PGA European Tour will be held at the resort from March 29th to April 1st 2012 and will welcome more than 140 European professional players.

The first major golf tournament to be played at Verdura, players will take to the Kyle Phillips designed Links-style course to compete for the honour of being named the 2012 Sicilian Open Champion as well as to gain much coveted Ryder Cup points and Race to Dubai Euros.

The Championship course will be played to a distance of 6,700 metres and to a par of 72.

Rocco Forte, chairman Rocco Forte Hotels, commented: “We are pleased that only two years after its opening Verdura Golf & Spa Resort was chosen by the European PGA Tour to host the 2012 Sicilian Open.

“It is a testament to the Resort team and the work they have done in such a short time.

“There also could not be a more appropriate destination than the beautiful Island of Sicily to officially tee off the European Tour and the tournament looks set to further cement the island’s reputation as the ideal place for golf holidays.

Verdura Golf & Spa Resort offers a unique experience to players and spectators alike.

The resort features two exciting 18-hole Championship seaside courses and a nine-hole course that meander around indigenous orange and olive groves, using terrain that undulates from mountain foothills down to the Mediterranean seashore and making for a memorable golf experience.

Verdura Golf & Spa Resort was nominated as Italy’s Leading Golf Resort at the World Travel Awards earlier this year.