Molinari putting together a record that’s hard to ignore
Francesco Molinari might not look like the modern version of an Arnie Palmer, a player who makes people watch because of his ability to charge from behind with clutch shots, big putts and low scores.
He just plays one on TV. And if he keeps winning like this, he might even get on TV more often.
It was hard to ignore the company Molinari kept last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He was not part of the featured groups that get streaming coverage, which was fine. Those rotate each week, and the Italian will be in one this week alongside Tony Finau and Jason Day.
But at Bay Hill, the PGA Tour put
him with two players not in the top 100 in world rankings.
That was unusual, especially for a British Open winner coming off an impressive year. It was similar to 1999 at Bay Hill, when Colin Montgomerie, a six-time European Tour money winner, had one of the earliest tee times because he was not a PGA Tour member. Molinari handled it much better. “Obviously I see it, but I don’t pay too much attention to it,” he said after his 64 to rally from five shots behind and win for the fourth time in his last 17 starts. “I was playing two tournament winners, anyway. I go about doing my own stuff and minding my own business.
“It’s not really bothering me wherever they put me in the tee times, as long as it ends up like this.”
One thing is clear: Molinari is worth watching. Four of his eight career victories have come in the last nine months, three of them counting as PGA Tour titles.
The PGA Tour does not recognise one of his best performances of all, the 2010 HSBC Champions in Shanghai, because that was when the tour counted that World Golf Championship as official only if a PGA Tour member won. Molinari beat Lee Westwood — in his debut at No 1 in the world — by one shot, and no one else was closer than 10 shots. Rory McIlroy was 11 shots behind. Tiger Woods finished 12 back.
Four players have shot 64 or better in the final round four times on the PGA Tour since 2017. Molinari is on that short list with Koepka, Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland. He doesn’t have their power. He doesn’t have their flash. He just gets results, which is what matters.
His record would suggest he is among the elite in golf. Molinari looks at it differently.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to think that way. It’s not my personality,” he said. “I’m definitely more confident. I’m not scared about going out on the golf course playing against anyone, but it’s just really hard for me to picture myself where I am at the moment. Hopefully, someday I’ll be able to.”