I WANNA BE BACK IN TOMMY’S SACK
Absent Molinari eyes Fleetwood reunion
IATLIAN Francesco Molinari insists he won’t be at all jealous if big pal Tommy Fleetwood ends up in bed with the Ryder Cup and a different partner next weekend.
The Moliwood pairing famously combined to win all four Paris matches together in 2018 as Europe romped to victory. And the enduring image of the long French weekend has been the video of Molinari and Fleetwood waking up together with the trophy after a drunken night of celebration.
The Italian became the first European to win all five of his matches in 2018 but will be watching Whistling Straits from his LA home after failing to qualify this year.
And the world No.167 said: “I wish I could be there but it is not going to be too weird for me. I wish the European team all the best and I hope to see Tommy and the rest of the lads celebrating at the end – however they do it.
“Will I mind if he ends up in bed again? No! I’m hoping we get another chance some time in the future. So hopefully it’s not the end of our partnership. It would be great to be there together in Rome (in 2023).
“Every bit of the partnership with him was just brilliant. When you’re winning matches, you have fun. I will make sure I phone him every night to keep in the right frame of mind.”
Captain Padraig Harrington has the task of finding Fleetwood a new partner in Wisconsin.
“Tommy has the advantage of being a player with no weaknesses so you can pair him up pretty much with anyone,” said Molinari (celebrating with Fleetwood, below).
“Sometimes it’s a double-edged sword because you end up filling the gaps when you’re like that, so hopefully they think he’s a bigenough player now to be at the top of the pecking order. Tommy is going to be fine. He will be one of the team leaders, though it didn’t feel like he was a rookie last time in Paris.”
Molinari was the hottest player on the planet in 2018 as he won his first PGA Tour title (the Quicken Loans National in Washington DC) by eight shots and then the Open at Carnoustie before his Ryder Cup heroics.
But the former world No.5 has never been the same player since losing the final-round lead at the 2019 Masters.
And moving his family from London to Los Angeles just before the pandemic, coupled with a back injury which saw him miss the Olympics, has seen him slowly slide down the rankings.
“It’s been really difficult for me because it’s been a big jump backwards,” said the Turin-born 38-year-old.
“It’s been the toughest stretch in my career in terms of injuries and just not being as consistent as I was. But that’s golf, that’s life. Hopefully, I can find a way to get out of it.”