 The BMW Italian Open this year carries with it more clout than previously, and it's due in no small measure to the extraordinary performance lately of Edoardo Molinari, and the huge groundswell of interest in the sport by the home fans it has caused.
During the 2010 Spanish Open recently in Seville, one of the Sky commentary team voiced over one of Molinari's tee shots that he's regarded as one of the better drivers on Tour. But it's on the greens where one really sees the man's extraordinary golf ability, as he showed at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
Ernie Els being the well-liked, generous kind of guy he is, you can't begrudge his superb win at Bay Hill - and particularly after such a long absence from the winners' table. And jolly good luck to him. But…
Being that self-same well-liked, generous kind of guy he is, he won't have failed to catch a glimpse in his rear-view mirror of the shape of things to come in the form of Edoardo Molinari. And there must have been one or two moments during the competition when Ernie might well have been terrified by what he saw - most notably, Molinari's phenomenal birdie putt on the 17th hole in the 4th Round. The Shot Tracker measured it at 61 feet! He also deftly put away a twenty-five foot birdie putt at the par-4 9th.
"He hits the ball solid -- very penetrating flight through the wind," said Phil Mickelson of him after The Bay Hill event. "I thought he was very impressive on the greens, really rolled the ball well and made some tough, tricky 5- and 6-footers to keep the round going."
Molinari got a taste of the big leagues in 2007, when he played at the Masters as a result of his U.S. Amateur win at Merion the previous summer. With his brother on the bag, Molinari was paired with Tiger Woods for two days, a mind-blowing experience, he said.
Molinari seemed to be little more than a very nice player, but the 2009 season became a whirlwind. He lost his European card at the end of 2008 and last year had to play the Challenge Tour, He won three times, then outdueled former Order of Merit winner Robert Karlsson in Japan to win his biggest title.
That distinction lasted roughly seven days -- he and his brother Francesco paired to win the World Cup team event a week later. Given that Italy has never been a hotbed for anything relating to golf, it was considered a massive upset.
Molinari takes his putting very seriously indeed, spending a good deal of time with putting coach Phil Kenyon (Harold Swash School of Putting) both on Tour and at the Yes! Golf (UK) head office In Southport, and it has stood him in very good stead.
Edoardo has kept consistent faith with his putting hardware and methodology for years. According to Phil Kenyon, the Italian's sense of rhythm, balance and concentration on the putting greens set him apart from almost every other player on Tour.
"A lot of guys on tour have commented on how good a putter Edoardo looks," says Kenyon. "If you want to score points over him you need to get it done between the tee and the green if you have any chance at all."
He was the only player out of the three European, Seniors and Challenge Tours to achieve three wins in 2009. With an innate sense of sporting showmanship, he waited until the 72nd hole of the Italian Federation Cup at Olgiata Golf Club, Rome last October to beat Nicolas Colsaerts whom he had trailed all day. And he did it with a 30-foot putt!
Prior to that he won the Kazakhstan Open in Almaty September 20th, and the Piemonte Open in Turin four months before that.
And it's Molinari's touch with the flatstick that will really be what excites fans this weekend, and given that he seems to blossom particularly in front of a home crowd it's little wonder there's an unprecedented level of interest in the Italian Open this year. |
