Molinari: “I can win at Augusta”

Edoardo Molinari is on a mission to regain the form that brought him a Ryder Cup berth. It begins at the Masters.

Two seasons ago, Edoardo Molinari emerged from 753rd in the world to global prominence – a journey encapsulated by the memory of his unforgettable three-birdie fi nish, and subsequent victory, at The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, which thrust him into Europe’s Ryder Cup team.

“It all happened so quickly,” he admits. “It was impossible to take stock of things. One moment I was doing well on the Challenge Tour, the next I’d won a couple of European Tour events and found myself stood on the first tee in front of thousands of fans at the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.”

In naming his team, European captain Colin Montgomerie praised Edoardo for spectacularly forcing his way into the reckoning at the 11th hour. “In my 24 years on the European Tour, I have never seen such an impressive finish,” said Monty, who selected the Italian as one of his three wildcard picks, just hours after the dramatic events at Gleneagles. “What Edoardo did under pressure was incredible. We need that kind of player in our ranks.”

That the Scot controversially left Paul Casey and Justin Rose out of his team is indicative of the impression this swashbuckling, shot-making Italian had made. And, as he joined his brother as part of one of Monty’s favoured pairings, Edoardo could’ve been forgiven for pinching himself on stepping out at Celtic Manor.

“I didn’t have the chance to pinch myself, because the atmosphere was so electrifying that you couldn’t help but realise where you were,” he remembers. “It was a proud moment for our family and our country, but it was also the most fun we’ve ever had on a golf course.”

Twelve months after his proudest moment, however, Edoardo found himself frustrated by mediocrity. “Last season was disappointing,” he admits. “Coming off the back of 2010, my expectations were heightened and I struggled to live up to them. Suddenly people were recognising me.

More TV cameras were on me, more fans expecting me to play well. That pressure makes it more difficult to succeed.”

Edoardo’s Order of Merit position dipped from 11th in 2010 to 46th last term, but that doesn’t tell the full story of a year that saw him ambitiously embrace a new schedule that split his time between either side of the Atlantic.

“My world ranking was high at the start of last season, so I chose to make the most of that by playing more in America. Three of the four Majors are there, plus the big WGC events and The Players, and so it makes sense to give yourself a good grounding in that style of golf, because it is undeniably different. The courses are longer and the ball-flight needs to be higher to land it on the firmer greens. It was a very good learning experience.”

That said, Edoardo could hardly claim to be a fish out of water in the States. In fact, his propensity to save his best for the big occasion can be traced to a dramatic week in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, in 2005. Molinari had been a rank outsider for the US Amateur Championship that year, and only scraped into the knockout stages thanks to a miraculous hole-out from a greenside bunker on the final hole of qualifying. But, in beating American Dillon Dougherty 4&3 in the final four days later, Edoardo became the first European to win the title for nigh on a century.

Then 25, Molinari was invited to three of the following year’s Majors, lining up in the same group as Tiger Woods at the 2006 Masters, and earning a valuable introduction to the increased demands of Major golf. Caddying for him at Augusta that year was his brother Francesco. The younger sibling would go on to beat Edoardo onto the European Tour the following year, and Edoardo admits part of his success is down to their rivalry.

“We’ve always spurred each other on. Even when we were very young, if one of us had birdied a certain hole at our local course for the first time, then the other one was desperate to follow suit. In 2010 when it was looking like Francesco would qualify for the Ryder Cup team, I was inspired to do my utmost to follow suit. I like to call it healthy competition because we’re very close and we don’t fight. I have to be honest and admit that Francesco is the better golfer right now. But, as ever, I’m trying my best to catch up with him!”

Healthy competition or otherwise, there’s no disputing the Italian stallions make a fearsome combination. They won the World Cup of golf at Mission Hills in 2009 and joined forces as Europe retained the Ryder Cup a year later. “Our playing styles complement each other,” says Edoardo. “Francesco hits it long and straight and I am good in and around the greens. Obviously our bond helps us, too. We don’t want to let each other down – that’s a big motivation.”

Their on-course assets are also reflected in their respective personalities. Affable and self-assured, 30-year-old Edoardo is one of the most popular members on tour, whose gregarious, convivial approach to life is reflected in his assertive style of play. In contrast, Francesco, while equally popular, is more placid and less excitable, his game markedly more methodical.

“I don’t know why we have different styles, because we always played together,” notes Edoardo. “We loved golf from a very young age, it became our lives. After school, we would play until it was dark, and then go home and practise our swings in the garden, pretending we were competing in the final round of The Masters.”

Amidst his otherwise unsatisfactory 2011 campaign, Edoardo did realise his childhood dream by challenging in the final round of the Masters, recording his highest finish in a Major. He briefly threatened the front-runners on Sunday, before settling for a tie for 11th at the place he calls “my favourite course in the world”.

“I fell in love with Augusta when I played there as an amateur in the ‘06 Masters,” he beams. “I seem to improve there each time I go back and last year things clicked for a little while over the weekend. If I can recapture that feeling then I’m confident I’ll be able to make a bigger impact this time.”

Edoardo goes into his fourth US Masters off the back of what he describes as “a positive winter”, in which he rid himself of a niggling wrist injury and digested his rollercoaster ride of the last 18 months.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to my best,” he says, boldly. “I have proved I can match the world’s elite players, but I haven’t proved that I deserve to stay among them. For that, you need consistency. The main goal now is to discover to the form I enjoyed in 2010.”

If Edoardo can continue to improve on his past Masters showings, we can expect to see him there or thereabouts come Sunday afternoon. And don’t be surprised if this big-game player grabs himself a Green Jacket. That would certainly give his little brother something to shoot at.