Healthy and Finally Past His 2019 Masters Collapse, Francesco Molinari Starts Fast at Torrey Pines

The 2018 British Open champion hasn't had much success since his lone major title. But the stars may be aligning this week.

Have you ever wondered which is harder, winning the first or the second major?

After shooting a 3-under 68 in the first round of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Francesco Molinari has taken a step toward answering that question. (Scores) 

In a perfect world, Molinari would already have multiple majors in the bank, but major championship golf has a way of putting a microscope to a player’s game and finding the weakness that doesn’t usually exist week-to-week in PGA Tour or European Tour golf.

Molinari, who won the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, was not only the hottest golfer in the world when he hoisted the Claret Jug that Sunday night, he was also Champion Golfer of the Year.

That win in Scotland came on the heels of wins on two tough courses: the BMW PGA Championship, the flagship event on the European Tour, and the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club, home of the 1964, 1997 and 2011 U.S. Opens.

It was clear when Molinari left Washington D.C. for the U.K. after winning the Quicken Loans that he was ready to take the next step.

Winning the Open was that next step, and he jumped to sixth in the world rankings. Nothing but clear sailing ahead.

Early in the 2019 season, Molinari continued his solid play with a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a third-place finish at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

All of this set up the Italian to be one of the favorites entering the Masters, and for 65 holes he didn’t disappoint.

Molinari entered the final round at Augusta with a two-shot lead over Tony Finau and Tiger Woods and clearly looked like the player to beat.

Like many on that Sunday in Augusta, Rae’s Creek that fronts the par-3 12th hole stopped not only Molinari’s chances of winning his second major in less than a year, but also drove a dagger into his career, as the loss and T-5 finish weighed on him for a long time.

Since that Sunday at Augusta, Molinari did not record a top 10 in either the U.S. or Europe for the remainder of 2019 and all of 2020.

“I got some closure (at The Masters) in October 2020 and playing the course just kind of got over it,” Molinari said of his return to Augusta last year. “I don’t think that's an issue anymore, it’s more having the time and energy to focus properly to playing golf.”

COVID has made everyone’s life difficult, but for the 38-year-old from Turin, it has been extremely difficult. This week is the first time he has seen his brother Edoardo since the week before Christmas in 2019.

Around that same time Molinari changed caddies, leaving his long-time looper Pello Iguaran, who was on his bag for his success in 2018 and 2019.

“I think both of us were not having a particularly good time on the course,” Molinari said of the caddie he dropped at the end of 2019 and reunited with this week at Torrey Pines. “I wasn’t playing well so I just wanted to try something different.”

Last year also saw Molinari’s life change off the course, with moves from London with his family to the Bay Area in Northern California. He then moved again, down the coast to Los Angeles.

All during a pandemic.

“Now we’re pretty much adjusted,” Molinari said of the move from London. “(But) we are still getting used to the lifestyle.”

Because of the travel ban, neither his family nor his wife’s family can come to the U.S., and with his kids in school and full-time golf career, the Molinaris just don’t have the time to get back to Italy.

Molinari has also struggled in 2021 with injuries, and when asked about them he said, “Pretty much every part of the body you can name.”

Francesco Molinari shot an opening-round 68 Thursday at Torrey Pines.  / USA Today

His back was the most recent issue. It forced him to withdraw before the first round of the PGA Championship last month.

Yet even with the injuries, Molinari has had success in 2021 -- at Riviera he finished eighth in the Genesis Invitational, and at Torrey Pines he finished 10th at the Farmers Insurance Open. Both courses feature poa annua greens, which are some of the most unpredictable to read in golf.

“It’s pretty much the first time in my career,” Molinari said of the injury bug that has bitten him this year. “It’s been nothing too bad, but I think taking a long break last year when COVID hit, I think physically it’s been quite hard to get going again.”

Of course, with only one round down, Molinari, who says he is feeling fine physically, must find a way to keep his game in good stead. While the Open Championship win was far from his memory, he will need to call on every positive vibe he can find to get himself in position to win on Sunday.

A tall order for a player that has struggled so mightily over the last two years.

“Yeah, it's nice, especially for someone like me,” Molinari said of his first-round success. “I haven't played recently, so it's nice to get off to a good start, but there's a long way to go, so like I said, start over tomorrow like nothing happened today.”

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