sport
Molinari has been in the top 100 of the World Rankings continuously since the end of 2008, but his continuous success wouldn’t have started without his passion for golf from childhood. He has been surrounded by the sport from a young age: growing up in Turin, he was fortunate to have parents who played golf. Francesco and his brother Edoardo began to accompany their father to the Circolo Golf Club as soon as they were old enough to hold a club. Molinari in fact caddied for Edoardo at the 2006 Masters - who was paired with Tiger Woods in the opening round - further exposing him to the golfing world. However, his interests don’t merely lie in his sport; Molinari is a massive football fan, supporting the Italian Serie A team Inter Milan, alongside the English Premier League’s West Ham United. He is also fluent in three languages (Italian, English and Spanish) and currently lives in London with his wife and two children.
With his 9 professional wins and numerous awards, Francesco Molinari has convincingly placed Italy on the golfing map. One could even argue that sooner or later the country could become the new golf capital? It is growing in sports tourism, considering there are over two hundred spectacular courses to choose from all over Italy. As well as this, Italy successfully bid to hold the 2022 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone club (just outside Rome), with the Italian Open being held on the same course in 2021. For now, we can only see what the future holds, both for Italy’s “golf fever” and Molinari’s astounding sporting career.
Maria Shevchenko
Render of the 10th fairway at the proposed 2022 Ryder Cup course at Marco Simone Golf Club in Italy, Twitter, @harriskalinka
Photo: eurosport.com